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

The Rooms celebrates first-year anniversary with four days of activities  

Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, along with Dean Brinton, CEO, The Rooms Corporation, kicked off anniversary celebrations today and remarked upon the milestones and successes of The Rooms in its inaugural year of operation.  

�In a very short time, The Rooms has become the envy of cultural institutions across the country and has firmly established itself as the hub of our arts and cultural community,� Minister Hedderson said during a ceremony at The Rooms today.  �Last year, we opened this state-of-the-art facility bringing the Provincial Art Gallery, Museum and Archives together under one roof.  Today, I would like to congratulate the staff of The Rooms for bringing this facility to life.  We celebrate your hard work and dedication.  This has been a significant undertaking and the results are spectacular.�  

Since its grand opening on June 29, 2005, The Rooms has welcomed just over 100,000 visitors. This includes 2,000 school children as a result of offering free admission for curriculum-linked tours and 9,000 children with youth groups such as Beavers and Brownies.  

Over the past year, The Rooms hosted numerous prestigious conferences and events, including the first ArtsWork Conference for arts educators across the province and Celebrate Nunatsiavut, which brought Inuit leaders and performers to the island to share their culture with the public. The Rooms also partnered with the Association of Heritage Industries to host the very first Celebrating our Living Heritage conference dedicated to exploring ways to preserve our intangible heritage.

The art gallery has worked diligently to attract prestigious exhibits, such as the one-of-a-kind installation by author Douglas Coupland and the Christopher Pratt retrospective from the National Gallery of Canada.  Over the past year, visitors have been able to enjoy exhibits by local artists, such as the Silver and Stone: the art of Michael Massie currently on display, alongside contemporary international exhibits never before available in the province, such as the Comharsana Beal Dorais (Next Door Neighbours) from the Irish Museum of Modern Art.  

With its wide range of themed activities for the pubic, The Rooms has become a popular destination on weekends and holidays, particularly for families. During the Christmas season last December, for example, kids lined up for musical and mummering performances, storytelling by Kevin Major, and craft-making classes.  In the past year, there have been over 40 lectures, �Show-and-Tells� and workshops drawing upon the expertise of the local arts and cultural community.  

This month, The Rooms also opened its gift shop, which offers products related to exhibits and collections, and a deli-style restaurant with a view unparalleled in the city.  

�The Rooms has been very busy over the past year and we haven�t had much opportunity to look back and take stock of all that has gone on,� said Mr. Brinton.  �We are very proud of our accomplishments and we are very excited to celebrate with the public and the community who share in our success; however, we must not forget that much of our work happens behind the scenes.�  

Mr. Brinton went on to say that a large part of The Rooms mandate is to preserve and protect the province�s prized cultural artifacts by ensuring that they are protected in state-of-the-art facilities to safeguard our culture for future generations. Recently, for example, The Rooms Provincial Museum partnered with Canadian Heritage and the Innu Nation to acquire an 18th century painted caribou-skin coat - of which there are approximately just 100 in existence � to ensure this significant piece of history is retained and preserved for the people of the province.  

�The Rooms plays an integral role in protecting Newfoundland and Labrador�s unique cultural heritage, through its collections maintenance and preservation, collections cataloguing, acquisitions, research and so on,� added Minister Hedderson.  �It has been and will continue to serve as an invaluable educational resource for our young people, enabling them to develop a greater understanding of their history as well as deeper sense of pride in their province.�  

The Rooms secured its first major corporate sponsor, BMO Financial Group, to support its education and outreach activities.  Plans are now in place to develop more virtual exhibits, traveling exhibits and to bring more activities into the local communities.  

�In the coming year, The Rooms will be turning more of its attention towards its education and outreach activities,� said Mr. Brinton.  �We�ve already received $250,000 from BMO to assist us with this which will make a big difference in our goal of making The Rooms accessible to all residents across the province.  We will continue to offer free admission to curriculum-linked school tours, and we are already working with the Department of Education to develop a learning resource web site for teachers and educators to provide them access virtually to items from The Rooms collections.�  

In fact, the archives have already developed two virtual exhibits � Distinguished Service: The Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the Great War and Women in Sport: A Celebration � which will serve researchers, educators and the general public across the province.  Researcher visits to the archives have also doubled in the past year with 1,000 new registered researchers.  

The public is encouraged to take part in the celebrations over the next four days. The Rooms Provincial Archives, Art Gallery and Museum are featuring an exciting schedule of events and activities to commemorate the one-year anniversary. Admission will be free on June 29, 2006.  

For more information, visit The Rooms web site at www.therooms.ca or call (709) 757-8000.

Photo #1: Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, along with Dean Brinton, CEO, The Rooms Corporation

Media contact:

Susanne Hiller, Tourism, Culture and Recreation, (709) 729-0928, 728-7762
Deanne Hayward, The Rooms Corporation, (709) 757-8070, 691-5681
   

BACKGROUNDER
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
JUNE 29 to JULY 2

Thursday, June 29
Free Admission.  Open 10:00 a.m. � 9:00 p.m.  

12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. - An Afternoon for All:
Come to The Rooms for cake and refreshments and stick around for first-hand demonstrations by local visual artists Boyd Chubbs and Kelly Bruton.  At 2:00 p.m. there�s face painting for the kids.  

7:00 pm : Our Rooms, Our Heritage:
Join well-known architect Phillip Pratt, heritage preservation officer Dale Jarvis and museum curator Mark Ferguson for a lively discussion on a component of our unique heritage � fishing rooms.  What are they?  Do they still exist?  What are we doing to preserve them?  
Seats are limited!  First-come, first-served!  

Friday, June 30
Open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - We�re changing again!
We�re opening our latest exhibits especially for our anniversary.  

Green Legacy:  Explore the beauty and vulnerability of some of Canada �s rare and native plants in this exhibit from the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Royal Botanical Gardens.  The Rooms Provincial Museum, Level 2.  

The Curwen Exhibit:  See the diaries and papers of Dr. Curwen and his work with the International Grenfell Association, highlighting his discussions on fishing rooms.  The Rooms Provincial Archives, Reference Room, Level 3.  

Rooms: Plantation , Premises, Station:
The definition of 'room', according to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English, is a tract or parcel of land on the waterfront of a cove or harbour from which a fishery is conducted.  Rooms: Plantation , Premises, Station is a selection of artwork from The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery's collection that present impressions of traditional and contemporary rooms of Newfoundland and Labrador .

Saturday, July 1
Sweep in Canada Day the right way!
Open 12:00 noon � 5:00 p.m.  

Celebrating Brad Gushue: Take in our very special Canada day exhibit featuring Brad Gushue�s Olympic Gold medal, jacket, pins and other treasures Brad so proudly brought home.  The Rooms Provincial Archives, Level 3.  

Canada Play Day: Kids of all ages are invited to have fun multi-cultural style with Canada-Play-Day. From 12 noon to 5 p.m. everyone will have a great time as they play a variety of international games.

Artfulnoon Tea: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. only.  Artfulnoon Tea celebrates the art of Michael Massie.  It includes discussions and demonstrations of art, and children of all ages can bring along their special toy guests and help kick off a series of art inspired summer tea parties.

Sunday, July 2
Open 12:00 � 5:00 pm  

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. � Outdoor Rooms!
Take a hike with Jason Sellars, within close proximity to The Rooms, with the sole mission to artify an outdoor space.  Participants will pick up garbage before sketching and making art, play games and eat pizza on their new green pad.  Just $10 and space is limited.  Register by calling 757-8000.  

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Jam with Fergus O�Byrne and Friends!
Bring along your own musical instrument and jam with Fergus O�Byrne, Jim Payne, Fergus Brown O�Byrne, Rob Brown and Michelle Brophy and friends in a traditional round-table jam-session.  The Rooms Atrium, Level 3.  

2:00 p.m. to 4:00pm - Meet Brad Gushue
Check out the Celebrating Brad Gushue exhibit and get to meet Brad in persin.  He�ll be here to sign autographs and pose for pictures.  The Rooms Atrium, Level 3.  

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Fishing Rooms and so much more
Join Dr. Ron Rompkey for his fascinating lecture about the Curwen exhibit and his first hand knowledge from his book on Dr. Curwen.  The Rooms Provincial Archives, Reference Room, Level 3.  The Reference Room will be open from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. for this special exhibit, but not for research purposes.  

2006 06 29                                                        2:35 p.m.