NLIS 3
May 26, 2005
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

The following is being distributed at the request of The Rooms Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador:

Newfoundland�s French Shore Depicted, 1713 - 1904 on display
at Corner Brook Museum and Archives

Newfoundland�s French Shore Depicted, 1713 - 1904 , the bilingual exhibition created by The Rooms Provincial Archives Division, will be on display at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives from May 30 to October 31, 2005. The exhibit, originally launched in June 2004, highlights the economic importance of Newfoundland�s French Shore to France, and views the French Shore in the context of Newfoundland�s cultural transformation and the formation of a unique national identity. Plans are also underway for the exhibition to be presented at the Seaman�s Museum in Grand Bank in the summer of 2006.

Dean Brinton, chief executive officer of The Rooms Corporation, said the exhibition was reproduced for travel without the restrictions of security and environmental controls required for displaying the original documents, maps and photographs, making it available for display in other venues in the province. �While the year of French celebrations is over, our French heritage remains an important part of our culture,� said Mr. Brinton. �The exhibition portrays a piece of our history that forever links this province to France and raises the profile of the importance of French influence in Newfoundland and Labrador and how this presence continues to shape our province and our people.�

The bilingual exhibition was created using original maps, documents and photographs, from the collections of The Rooms Provincial Archives Division and Library and Archives Canada, as well as reproductions of rare documents from French archival collections, never before seen in North America - over 90 documents in total. The exhibition was created by the Provincial Archives in partnership with the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives, Library and Archives Canada, Soci�t� 2004, the Biblioth�que nationale de France, and the Minist�re des Affaires �trang�res.

In addition to the main exhibition created through a partnership with the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives and Soci�t� 2004, a travelling version was also created. This travelling exhibit has already been hosted in St. Anthony, Port au Choix, Croque, Conche, Mainland on the Port au Port Peninsula, Marystown and at Centre scolaire et communitaire des Grands-Vents in St. John�s. On Monday, May 30, the travelling exhibition will open in Codroy .

To facilitate The Rooms outreach and education activities, the travelling exhibit was created using high quality copies and flexible panels, making it mobile and easy to set up in a variety of centres and facilities. It is accompanied by a bilingual publication and during an opening in Codroy on May 30, the Archives Division of The Rooms Corporation will also be launching a companion bilingual CD based on the exhibition. The CD contains, in addition to all of the exhibition items and background music, 10 educational activities, designed in collaboration with the Department of Education, to be used as a resource for schools and individuals interested in learning more about the French Shore.

Media contact: Tansy Mundon, Communications, (709) 729-0928, 685-1741.

2005 05 26                                                       12:15 p.m.