The Provincial Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Provincial Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, presents visitors with an excellent representative view of this province's art.

The collection is housed in the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, which was formerly known as the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The website gives the following information:

The Rooms is located at 9 Bonaventure Avenue and provides 10,000 square feet of gallery space for permanent collections and travelling exhibits. Its design and name pay tribute to the traditional buildings, known as fishing 'rooms,' where the province's fishers once processed their catch and stored nets and other equipment. Alongside the gallery, The Rooms is home to the provincial archives and museum.
Open year-round, the gallery has an annual budget of $1 million and a permanent staff of 12. It shows temporary exhibitions on the third and fourth floors of The Rooms and exhibits works from its permanent collections on the fourth floor. It also maintains a shared exhibit with the museum and archives on the second floor. About 20 exhibitions are presented in St. John's annually, normally balanced between exhibitions produced by the gallery and those borrowed from elsewhere. The gallery's primary exhibition focus is contemporary Canadian art, with a specific commitment to that of Newfoundland and Labrador. Historical art, art from other countries, folk art, and crafts are also sometimes included.
The gallery manages collections of original fine art, including that of Memorial University of Newfoundland, the J. K. Pratt Memorial Collection, the Provincial Art Gallery Permanent Collection, and the Art Procurement Collection of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Known together as the “Permanent Collections,” they comprise over 7,000 works of art. The collections are primarily of post-1960 Canadian art, but also include historical works. Art with connections to Newfoundland and Labrador is a special focus, with major holdings of such artists as Christopher and Mary Pratt, Gerald Squires, David Blackwood, Reginald and Helen Parsons Shepherd, Don Wright and Anne Meredith Barry. Donations of art are an important aspect of the collections' growth; charitable donation receipts can be provided for these gifts.
Education and outreach goals are important to the gallery. There is an active program of school visits, group tours, talks by artists, children's workshops, public receptions and concerts. Volunteers or 'friends of the gallery' help with these activities, with fundraising and in other ways.

this portion was extracted from the Gallery's website. Please click here


The Gallery sends collection out throughout the province so people can see the art of their province without having to travel to St. John's. And to show the respect that Newfoundland has for Christopher Pratt, they appointed him the gallery's first curator. The Gallery began as a modest collection in the University Library, in 1961. Megan Williams is their current director.