Latest news with #TheRooms
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A new exhibit at The Rooms spans the history of N.L. sport
As the Canada Games draws closer, The Rooms is taking a look back in time to the last time St. John's played host. The Rooms put out a call out last year for memorabilia for a new exhibit dedicated to the '77 Canada Summer Games. The exhibit, called '77 to '25: A Journey Through Newfoundland and Labrador's Canada Games, is now open to the public on the building's second level. "It's been over a year in the making," curator Maureen Peters told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "We partnered with Canada Games 2025 and what I wanted to do was — I want to look at the history of sporting in Newfoundland and Labrador and go from there." The exhibit displays the two events and how sports evolved in the province in those 48 years in between. Visitors can also see what The Rooms believes to be one of the first soccer balls brought to the province, said Peters. "Seventy-seven really brought in a lot of great facilities and financial and facility investment in St. John's in order to kind of create an atmosphere for growing for the involvement in future games," she said. People went from "organic," more informal games, to using facilities like the Aquarena and greenbelt tennis courts, which helped athletes from the province compete nationally and internationally. Through her research, Peters found that Golf Avenue got its name because it was the site of the province's first golf course, established in the late 19th century, in what is now Buckmaster's Circle. "I just hadn't realized the history of golf in Newfoundland was quite that old," said Peters. Also on display is Tely 10 runner Ron O'Toole, who won his first race in 1923 and also competed in the Boston Marathon. Bob Porter and Mary Ellen Winter Porter met while volunteering for the '77 games and later married. Winter Porter has donated her blue uniform to the exhibit. St. John's Coun. Sandy Hickman, who is on the 2025 Canada Summer Games board, said he was also involved in the games back in 1977 as assistant chef de mission and general manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador contingent. "Just fresh out of university, working with our teams, helping them come up with training plans and then preparing them over the last five or six months for the games, ordering all the outfits and setting up travel to and from St. John's and all kinds of great things," said Hickman. And walking in the opening ceremony was one of the biggest thrills of his life, he said, adding the return to St. John's is a "full circle" moment. "Now we're going to run another great game here in St. John's and I'm just delighted to have it back here," said Hickman. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The building is for everyone': Organizers reflect on what The Rooms means after 20 years
As The Rooms celebrates 20 years since opening its doors, organizers reflect on how the space has changed since, and what it's able to offer its guests. The cultural institution in St. John's celebrated the milestone with tours, musical performances and an ongoing community art project. "This building is for everyone and we want everyone to enjoy the history, the art and programming," Sarah Ryan, education and public programming officer, told CBC News. "We kind of make all those things come to life and we hope people can connect and engage with it in a way that kind of makes their life more exciting and learn a little bit about themselves." In the course of two decades, Ryan said The Rooms has meant different things for different people, depending where they are in their lives. "One of the things that were said, is people in the beginning came here for the view, but then over time they realized that they were here for the exhibitions. They were here to learn," she said. "It became a place for them and their family and their friends and to learn a bit about themselves." Ryan said a lot of thought and consideration goes into programming to bring the artifacts to life. "We really want to impact people's days when they come here to learn something, so then on their journey home they're thinking about a new experience that they had, a new idea that they had, a new thought," she said. She added there are more events planned throughout the year to celebrate the 20-year anniversary, including tours and inviting people to draw their own interpretations of the view outside The Rooms. "They can add houses, wharves, some have added UFO spaceships," she said. "Their drawings then get to be on display at The Rooms." Anne Chafe, CEO of The Rooms, said she has seen "remarkable" change over the last two decades in what The Rooms does and how people feel about it. "Our mission is to be a welcoming space for all. And no matter what your background is, no matter what your abilities are, we want you to feel comfortable here," she said. The Rooms can also offer people stability in what Chafe called "uncertain times," adding their work with history can be comforting to guests. She said the art gallery can help people also think differently about the future. "When people come to The Rooms, they can experience things from a totally different perspective," she said. There was a lot of buzz in 2005 over the building's design, and not much talk about what was going on inside, said Chafe. "There was a joke that we were the box that the Basilica came in. And I think, you know, 20 years later, what people are talking about is what happens inside of the building," she said. Going forward, Chafe said she wants the space to be like a "second home" for visitors. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
01-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- CBC
At age 69, Inuk artist Shirley Moorhouse is having a moment
"This is the ensemble of the lady who has everything," Shirley Moorhouse says, reaching for an opulent seal skin apron, which is pinned to the wall of her Happy Valley-Goose Bay studio. The 69-year-old Inuk artist is one of 30 artists on the long list for the 2025 Sobey Art Award. With a top prize of $100,000, it's among the most prestigious art awards in the country. "It's a full seal skin cut out in ulu shapes on the bottom. It's lined on the top with rabbit skin," she explains. "I made a seal skin oven glove that was lined with rabbit. And a little silver claw, which is absolutely useless." A handbag, a wine goblet and a pair of high heels — adorned with seal and rabbit skin — complete the look, Moorhouse says, along with the "most useless crown in the whole wide world." Lined with seal skin, this crown bears spikes made of barbecue skewers, all dipped in blue, black and silver beads. "I like lushness, you know," said Moorhouse. "Lushness and fullness and happiness and sparkles." In fact, Moorhouse seems to sparkle with joy — especially as her art career continues to take off. Moorhouse's solo exhibition, "ᐃᔨ -Eyes" is opening at The Rooms in St. John's on Tuesday. The exhibition is a retrospective, celebrating 30 years of her work. "To have one of your pieces shown at The Rooms is, you know, marvellous enough for me, but to have a solo exhibition in the main hall over the summer season when it's going to be busiest, and then to have publication after that, it's unreal," she said. That publication, Moorhouse explains, is an upcoming book showcasing her art, which is geared toward general and academic audiences. Her piece Canadian Sovereignty of the Northern Lights is also slated for display at the National Gallery of Canada this October. Moorhouse said she's blown away by all of the recognition. "The Sobey long list is just like a pot of gold a leprechaun left for me," she said. And although she's surprised by the sudden momentum of her art career, Moorhouse said that as an artist in Nunatsiavut, who worked for years to make inroads with artistic institutions, this also feels like a true moment of reconciliation. "Through this path, I'm coming up to 70 years old now," Moorhouse said. "A whole lot of streams, a whole lot of rivulets, [are] all finely braided into this particular time." Back to school at 65 Moorhouse was just a baby, blinking in her crib, when the first seed of her upcoming exhibition was planted. She said her grandmother took one look at her and called her ijiik, the Inuktitut word for "eyes." "I thought it meant originally about the shape of my eyes, but later I came to know it meant more," she said. "My eyes are grabbing the history around me, recording it, and I try to record it in any way possible that I can." As a child, Moorhouse said she kept busy creating, colouring and reading. But school was a challenge, and she ultimately dropped out of high school. Later, Moorhouse completed her high school diploma. Opportunity knocked in 1995, when the Labrador College — now known as the College of the North Atlantic in Happy Valley-Goose Bay — ran a two-year diploma course in heritage crafts. For her first project, Moorhouse created her very first wall hanging. That piece caught the eye of Mi'kmaq artist Jerry Evans, who was working on a book about Indigenous artists in the province at the time. Over the years, Moorhouse continued creating, writing poetry, producing more of her distinctive, renowned wall hangings, and occasionally exhibiting her work. But her career kicked into high gear a couple of years ago, when she pursued her master's degree in fine arts at Memorial University's Grenfell campus in Corner Brook. "I figured, well, I got to do something different. It was just my 65th birthday," she said. Heading back to school in her 60s wasn't exactly easy. Moorhouse had to get used to all the latest technology. But the inclusive Grenfell fine arts program was "just amazing," she said. "If I can do it, so can you," she said. Recognition a 'sign of reconciliation' for Indigenous artists Moorhouse looks around her studio, full of gratitude. This space is a recent development, secured through a grant from the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. A ledge beneath her window holds enough space for "the acres and the mileage and the poundable of beads" used in her work. The windows are draped in shimmering, sheer tulle, resembling "gossamer thoughts, or gossamer colours caught in thoughts." Moorhouse said things have certainly changed for Nunatsiavut artists during her lifetime. When she began creating art, there was no recognition or help from the provincial and federal governments. She also says Inuit history was "basically ignored" in school curriculums, and Indigenous artists had to fight for space in artistic institutions. "Coming into The Rooms now as an Indigenous artist at my age, you know, it's a very satisfying period in my life. I'm more than satisfied. I'm grateful every day," she said. "The Indigenous people of Newfoundland and Labrador are finally getting recognition within the institutions that should have included us in the first place." With each new piece, Moorhouse said, she's also carrying on Inuit traditions her own family practiced for survival. "Now, you know, a couple of generations later, here I am doing it as art," she said. "Which is absolutely wonderful."
CBC
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
20th anniversary exhibit shows designers' decade-long vision for The Rooms
Its beige bricks are meant to represent the barrens, while its roof is described as 'dogberry red.' Curator Mireille Eagan describes how the designers of The Rooms aimed to incorporate Newfoundland and Labrador culture into every aspect of the building.
CBC
18-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Oklahoma students tried out curling with Olympic gold medallist Jamie Korab while stuck in St. John's
A group of eighth graders from Tulsa, Okla. headed for Dublin, Ireland ended up stuck in St. John's for two days — and made the most of their surprise stopover with a curling lesson from an Olympic gold medallist. The students had two days of sightseeing and exploring, and even got to try out an iconic Canadian sport with Waterford Valley MHA and Olympic champion curler Jamie Korab. "It's kind of interesting that we landed in a place that has a lot of Irish culture," said Jenks Middle School principal Nick Brown. "So we're really looking at it as a bonus." The group also received chocolates and a personal letter from Premier Andrew Furey welcoming them to the province. The troupe visited Cape Spear, The Rooms and the Basilica in St. John's, making the most out of their pit stop. They were headed to Dublin to study science and agriculture but ended up experiencing a few bumps in the road, leaving Tulsa on the morning of Feb. 12. A delay in Chicago led them to miss their next flight. When they finally got on a plane headed to Dublin on Thursday, it had to land in St. John's for a medical emergency. Luckily, EF Educational Tours Canada, a student travel company, stepped in and was able to get local tour guide Michael Holden to bring the students around on Friday. Their stay was extended by another day after their Saturday morning flight was cancelled due to high winds — another novel experience for the preteens. "We're from the southern part of the United States, so we don't really have weather like this," said Brown. "[The] kids are making snowballs and throwing them at each other." Brown said he was impressed and grateful for Newfoundland's hospitality during their 48-hour stay. "This will be something that these kids will remember the rest of their lives," he said. Trying out curling When Korab heard about the stranded eighth graders, he pulled some strings and got the kids on the ice. "People are stranded here, let's show them a good time," said Korab. "Rather than having them hang around a hotel room, give them an experience they've never had, and maybe [they'll] go back to Oklahoma City and Tulsa and say, 'Hey, we tried curling and it was about a lot of fun.'" Learning how to play curling was an exciting new experience for the students, said Brown. "There may be an Olympic curler from Jenks, Oklahoma in our future that we don't even know about," he said. For students Gretta Richardson, Isabel Englebrecht and Zeke Catterson, getting to try out curling was their favourite activity in Newfoundland. "It was really cool and exciting, [but] it was really hard to put that rock out," said Englebrecht. While Englebrecht said she knew about Newfoundland from the musical Come From Away, the others said they hadn't heard of the province before. "I didn't know it existed," said Catterson. While they missed out on a few days in Dublin and had to spend hours in an airport, the students were pleased with the opportunity to experience another country on their trip. "It's actually like, really beautiful.... If I hadn't gone here, I would have never like known how pretty it was," said Catterson. The group was able to fly out of St. John's successfully Sunday morning.
