Beginning this Friday, March 27, and continuing though the remainder of 2009, The Rooms, the Provincial Seamen�s Museum and The Labrador Interpretation Centre will join with the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador in the festivities of the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 commemorative year.

As part of Celebrating Bartlett 2009, and to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1909 expedition to the North Pole, The Rooms will be featuring an exhibition of archival records relating to the life and career of Captain Robert Abram (Bob) Bartlett, the Bartlett family, and Hawthorne Cottage � the family residence in Brigus. The exhibition will highlight textual records, photographic images as well as items from the newly acquired Parks Canada Collection of Bartlett records. These records will then be made available to the public for research purposes.

"The Parks Canada Collection is a valuable historic reference that speaks to Bartlett�s significant place in both our provincial history and in the history of Arctic exploration," commented Greg Walsh, Provincial Archivist and Director of The Rooms Provincial Archives Division. "This collection and our new exhibition provide an insight into this great explorer�s past and how many Newfoundlanders have challenged themselves and the elements for centuries."

To further celebrate the life of Captain Bob Bartlett, The Rooms will also display an exhibition entitled, Collecting the Arctic: Bob Bartlett's World of North from July 9 through January 17, 2010. This exhibition will highlight the significant artifacts and objects that Bartlett gathered during his many arctic explorations. Visitors will be able to enjoy a sampling of natural and geological specimens, as well as everyday objects of the Inuit that were collected by Bartlett and other Newfoundland and Labrador residents who ventured to the far north.

In addition to the two exhibitions that will be on display at The Rooms, the Provincial Seamen�s Museum in Grand Bank and the Labrador Interpretation Centre in Northwest River will also join in the festivities of Celebrating Bartlett in 2009 by displaying the special travelling exhibition, Across the Polar Sea: With Robert E. Peary of the North Pole Expedition. Consisting of 33 enlargements of hand-tinted lantern slides used by Donald B. MacMiillan, a crew member of the ship the SS. Roosevelt, one of Robert E. Peary�s vessels, this exhibition will be on loan from the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum until November 2009.

"We are very pleased to have The Rooms as a program partner for Celebrating Bartlett 2009. The Rooms Provincial Archives� exhibit is a wonderful and exciting addition to the celebrations and an important means of telling the Bartlett story. We want the people of the province to learn about this great man, all that he accomplished, and the significant contributions he made to our understanding of the Arctic," said Ed Roberts, Chair of the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 Steering Committee. "Through this exhibit and the upcoming exhibits being planned by The Rooms, people will have an opportunity to learn about the life and legacy of one our province�s greatest sons. I thank The Rooms for creating the exhibits and compiling the collections, and for helping to bring Captain Bob�s legacy and achievements to the people of the province."

Additional exhibition and programming information planned in conjunction with the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 commemorative year will be available at www.therooms.ca throughout the 2009 summer season.

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Media contact:

Chrysta Collins
Communications Officer
The Rooms
709-757-8091
chrystacollins@therooms.ca

Discovering Bartlett: An Archival Exploration
Opening Friday, March 27, at The Rooms
Opening Reception and Special Presentation, Friday, March 27, 2:00 p.m.

As part of the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 commemorative year and to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1909 expedition to the North Pole, The Rooms will be featuring an exhibition of archival records. These records relate to the life and career of Captain Robert Abram (Bob) Bartlett, the Bartlett family, and Hawthorne Cottage, the family residence in Brigus. The exhibition will highlight textual records, photographic images as well as certificates from the newly acquired Parks Canada Collection of Bartlett records that will be available to the public for research.

This exhibition will be on view at The Rooms until Friday, September 25, 2009.

A Viewing of The Viking
Sunday April 19, 2:00 p.m. at The Rooms
In conjunction with the exhibition, Discovering Bartlett: An Archival Exploration, The Rooms will be presenting a viewing of The Viking.

The Viking was the first Hollywood-style sound film ever made in Canada. It was produced by an American filmmaker Varick Frissell. Frissell formed his own company, the Newfoundland-Labrador Film Company and was supported by Paramount Pictures to make the feature film, tentatively titled White Thunder. The film was set amidst the activity of the annual Newfoundland seal hunt with Captain Bob Bartlett playing the role of the ship�s captain. Filming took place in Quidi Vidi in 1930 as well as on the Grand Banks and in Labrador. The film debuted at the Nickel Theatre in St. John�s, on 5 March 1931.

Following its debut, Frissell decided that the film would require more footage from the Labrador ice floes. On March 9, 1931 Frissell and his crew boarded the SS Viking under the command of Abram Kean Jr. The vessel carried a large amount of explosives used to blast ice pans. On March 15, the Viking was in an ice floe when she exploded. Survivors walked over the ice to Horse Island, White Bay. Twenty-seven men were killed including Frissell. His death attracted international press coverage. White Thunder was later released as The Viking.

Collecting the Arctic: Bob Bartlett's World of North
Opening Thursday July 9, 2009 at The Rooms
As he explored the north, Captain Bob Bartlett collected all kinds of things for museums in the south. Plants and animals, geological specimens, and everyday objects of the Inuit made their way into many museum collections, including ours. Here�s a sampling from Bartlett and from other Newfoundland and Labrador residents who ventured to the far north. It�s just one of the ways we are Celebrating Bartlett in 2009.

This exhibition will be on view at The Rooms until Sunday, January 17, 2010.

Across the Polar Sea: With Robert E. Peary of the North Pole Expedition
The Provincial Semen�s Museum, Grand Bank
Opening Saturday May 23, 2009
The Labrador Interpretation Centre, North West River
Opening at Saturday September 12, 2009
In the summer of 1908, Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary boarded his ship SS Roosevelt and departed New York bound for the high Arctic to make one last attempt to reach the North Pole. He was accompanied by a small group of men selected for their courage, strength, and intelligence. One of these men was Donald B. MacMillan. This special travelling exhibition consisting of 33 enlargements of hand-tinted lantern slides used by Donald B. MacMiillan and will be on loan from the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum.

This exhibition will be on view at the Provincial Seamen�s Museum until Sunday, August 30, 2009 and on view at the Labrador Interpretation Centre from Saturday September 12 until Sunday November 1, 2009.