Since 1952, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador has celebrated excellence in the arts through the Arts and Letters Awards. This annual competition affords a special opportunity for writers, composers and visual artists – young and old, amateur and professional – to showcase their talents through a variety of media. The Rooms is pleased to present work by the winners of the visual art section, alongside those designated honorable mentions or works of merit by the adjudicators.

Renowned Newfoundland and Labrador artist Mary Pratt will be celebrated in a 50-year retrospective exhibition that will open at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in May 2013, then tour Canada until January 2015.

Beginning in the mid-1960s, Mary Pratt became fascinated by light on the surfaces of everyday objects in her home. She began to create powerful oil paintings; the first in this genre, Supper Table (1969) will be in this exhibition. Other iconic works to be included are Jelly Shelf (1999), Eviscerated Chickens (1971) and Service Station (1978).

Nuance of tone, brushstroke, angle and choice of subject leave viewers of Mary Pratt’s images with a sense of wonder and sometimes unease. Highly contemporary yet rooted in the traditions of art history, Mary Pratt’s work reveals the breadth of emotion, skill and maturity this artist brings to her practice.

Mary Pratt the exhibition is a project by The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Museums Assistance Program.

Image: Mary Pratt, Salmon on Saran, 1974, oil on board, 45.7 x 76.2 cm.
Collection of Angus and Jean Bruneau.

Landscape remains close to the heart of Canadian art as well as being integral to our national identity. This exhibition presents significant works from the permanent collection, spanning the history of landscape painting in Canada, reconsidered aside contemporary art exploring our changing relationship with the natural world. Artists include A.Y. Jackson, Robert Pilot, Maurice Cullen, Franklin Carmichael, James Morris, Pegi Nicol MacLeod, Anne Meredith Barry and Dan Hudson. A majority of these works come from the generous gifts of Edwin R. Procunier to the collection over the years.

Image credit:
Maurice Cullen, Misty Afternoon, St. John’s, Newfoundland, 1910, oil on canvas
The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery Collection – Gift of The National Gallery of Canada

Inner Works presents significant artworks from The Rooms’ permanent collection, works that are elemental to the continuing stories of our collections and the visual arts in this province. This exhibition is enriched with information about artists, art contexts and techniques available through hands-on activities and new technologies.