Dialogue and Debate with Memorial University at The Rooms
Date: Mar 19
7:00 pm
- 8:30 pm
Where: Theatre
Broad Strokes: The Passion and the Past of the Art Gallery of NL
What role did Memorial University play in seeding a Newfoundland and Labrador arts community in the 1960s and 1970s and what is the role of cultural institutions like art galleries in the province today? Join The Rooms and Memorial University for Dialogue and Debate: The passion and the past of the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Dialogue and Debate is an event series that invites experts from Memorial University to discuss and expand on the collections and exhibitions featured at The Rooms. The discussions are lively, informative and designed for the public.
This is a free event but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online or by calling (709)757-8090/
Featured Debaters:
Jane Walker (BFA'15), (she/her) is a visual artist and arts administrator based in Corner Brook / Elmastukwek. She holds a bachelor of fine arts in visual arts from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, and a masters of research from the Glasgow School of Art. Walker is the Director of the Grenfell Art Gallery and has been deeply involved in the art initiatives across the province for ten years, including the establishment of Union House Arts (2016-2022) and working with organizations like the Bonavista Biennale (2017, 2019, 2021) and Riddle Fence Journal of Arts and Culture (2018-2024). Jane has written for Canadian Art, Visual Arts News and other publications, winning the 2021 VANL-CARFAC Critical Eye Award for Art Writing. Since 2021, she has also worked on public art projects with Business and Arts NL, including creating a Public Art Strategy and later curating the art collection for the new Adult Mental Health and Addictions Centre in St. John’s, opening in spring 2025.
Dr. Jeff Webb (BA'85, MA'87) is a professor at Memorial University and head of the Department of History. He is the author of three books: including Observing the Outports, that examines the university scholarship upon Newfoundland Society and Culture, and most recently, The Cause of Art, that tells the story of the Memorial University Art Gallery’s efforts to foster a professional Newfoundland visual art. He has also published numerous essays on a variety of topics. They include a history of the rise and fall of Memorial University’s Extension Service. In a project related to that, in collaboration with Derek Norman, he made a documentary film, The Films of Fogo Island, the revisited Extension’s and the National Film Board’s pathbreaking development of participatory media as a tool for public engagement.
Events & Programs
Save The Date – Online Registration Opening Soon!
Registration Dates:
- Rooms Members: Tuesday, March 18 at 10:00 AM
- Non-Members: Thursday, March 20 at 10:00 AM
A “Get Tickets” button will appear on this page when registration opens. Online registration only.
Once you've completed your online registration, please download the Registration Form and submit it to RoomsOrders@therooms.ca to complete your registration.
Adventures Await!
Get ready for an unforgettable summer! The Rooms will be offering exciting 5-day camps for 8 weeks, filled with creativity, exploration, and fun.
Who Can Attend?
Camp K-3: Open to campers who have completed Kindergarten to Grade 3 by June 2025.
Camp 4-6: Open to campers who have completed Grades 4 to 6 by June 2025.
(No Exceptions)
What to Expect?
Each week, campers will dive into inspiring exhibitions and collections, with activities focused on creative expression through engaging daily themes.
Camp Details!
Cost: $265 Per Week + HST.
10% Discount for Rooms Members (Member Number Required)
Schedule:
Camp Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Drop-off: Between 8:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Pick-up: Between 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Mark your calendars and get ready for an amazing summer at The Rooms!
Join us each day for an interpretive guided tour in one of our galleries. From the story of the Cod fishery to visiting a current art exhibition to a Family Rainbow tour, there is something for everyone.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
Fishing for Cod
For centuries, fishing for cod has played a vital role in the lives of the peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador. Generations of fishing men, women and children made use of the land and sea to sustain them and spent their lives “making fish”.
Drop by and talk to local visual artists throughout the summer as they share stories about their work and creative process!
Schedule
• Thursday, July 3 – Amber-Lynn Thorne
• Thursday, July 10 – Daniel Rumbolt
• Thursday, July 17 – Daniel Rumbolt
• Thursday, July 24 – Kayla Walsh
• Thursday, July 31 – Kayla Walsh
Artist Bios
Amber-Lynn Thorne
Amber-Lynn describes herself as "an artist who owes everything to the ocean." She is from Thornlea, NL, on the isthmus of the Avalon Peninsula, where generations of her family have fished. She is an interdisciplinary visual artist and graduate of the Visual Arts Program at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her practice incorporates imagery symbolic of the fishery and the ocean, serving as both a reflection on and continuation of her family’s fishing legacy.
Daniel Rumbolt
Daniel is an artist from the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. His multidisciplinary art practice is informed by experiences being raised in rural Newfoundland, using material manipulation to transform rural narrative and queer tensions into visual form.
Kayla Walsh
Bio coming soon.
Join us each day for an interpretive guided tour in one of our galleries. From the story of the Cod fishery to visiting a current art exhibition to a Family Rainbow tour, there is something for everyone.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
In Each Other’s Shoes
Join us for a guided tour of footwear known throughout the province. Learn how shoes are created, fashioned, and crafted for different environments by the people who thrive there. See how cultural identity is displayed through style, design, and decoration.
After looking at contemporary examples, we will visit the archaeology displays and look at what happens to shoes after hundreds of years!