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.
Today's Events & Programs
Winter may be here, but there’s no need to stay home!
Join us at The Rooms to exercise and socialize during this colder and drearier time of year. While strolling throughout the building and enjoying both the exhibitions and the views, participants will focus on a different spotlight item from our collection each week. After our stroll, staff will lead a brief discussion on the weekly spotlight, and then everyone is encouraged to stay and socialize with friends new and old.
Following the Senior's Stroll, we will open our art gallery classroom for a guided art activity. All materials are provided, and everyone is welcome to attend.
No registration is needed. Included with the cost of admission ($7.80 plus HST for seniors), free for members.
For further information, please contact catherineoneill@therooms.ca
Peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador
Stroll across land and sea, and through time, to meet the peoples who have made Newfoundland and Labrador home for the past 9,000 years.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
In this conversation, writers and educators Rhea Rollmann and Daze Jefferies explore the possibilities of queer and trans worldmaking that are present across Erica Rutherford and Matthew-Robin Nye’s art and exhibitions. With specific attention to depictions of the child and childhood, and to the value of wonder in today's world, they reflect on the lived experiences, hopes, and dreams of trans and gender creative youth in Atlantic Canada.
This is a free program but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online or by calling 709-757-8090.
Rhea Rollmann (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, writer and audio producer based in St. John's, NL, and is the author of A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books, 2023). She is a founding editor of The Independent NL and her journalism has appeared in Briarpatch Magazine, CBC, Xtra Magazine, Chatelaine, PopMatters, Riddle Fence, Macleans and more. Her academic work has been published in the Journal of Gender Studies, Labor Studies Journal, Canadian Woman Studies, Journal of Work and Society, Canadian Theatre Review, Canadian Review of Sociology, Screen Bodies and elsewhere. She also has an extensive background in labour organizing and queer/trans activism, and she is Station Manager at CHMR-FM, a community radio station in St. John's.
Daze Jefferies (she/her) is a white settler artist, writer, and educator based in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). Her multidisciplinary, research-based practice explores queer, trans, and sex worker embodiments, counter-histories, and intergenerational relationships in Atlantic Canada. Her work has been exhibited and performed at The Rooms, Eastern Edge Artist-Run-Centre, and the Grenfell Art Gallery, with upcoming exhibitions at Union House Arts and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Gallery. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Emerging Artist Award and 2025 Milestone Award from VANL-CARFAC.
A new year – a new round of trivia! Get your thinking caps on, settle in with your friends and get ready for some exciting Trivia!
Join host Ramona Dearing for an evening of questions inspired by the history, geography, and the culture of the province.
Teams of 2-6 people. Cash bar available and Prizes!
Ramona Dearing is a writer and a retired host of CBC Radio’s CrossTalk and its popular Trivia editions.
Tickets: $12 plus HST. 10% discount for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling 709-757-8090.