While there are some beautiful spots to view the St. John’s, NL, skyline and harbour, one of the best is from The Rooms. Situated up on a hill overlooking downtown, you have a clear view of all of the iconic elements of downtown St. John’s, the Narrows, the Battery, Signal Hill and the jelly bean downtown houses. It’s clear the placement of the building and its windows was well considered in the original plans.
While the initial goal for the day was to meet with my good friends for lunch at The Rooms Café before getting on a flight later in the day, our lunch plans were extended by a couple of hours to visit the two main exhibitions currently on display.
Erica Rutherford: Her Lives and Works
“The struggle to realize and to express my nature is my life’s meaning.” — Erica Rutherford
Toby Rabinowitz: A World Within A World
The purpose of my work is to support peace in the universe and the general well-being of all people.” — Toby Rabinowitz
Since I usually visit an exhibit myself, I very rarely think about how long it takes me to get through and what my process is for exploring. This time around, I found myself acutely aware of how different the user experience (UX) was for each of us. I realized I spend about as much time reading about the artwork as I do viewing it. I suspect what I’m trying to do is get educated about the artist as much as I am to appreciate their work. The friend who claims they don’t go to galleries much used it as an opportunity to socialise with the museum staff and get a bit of their personal perspective. The architect and illustrator of our group spent a lot of time examining the finer details of each piece, examining and appreciating the lines, colours and brushstrokes in ways most people can’t see.
The teenager of the group sped through things and was curious when we were going to be leaving.
In 2025, I had the idea of starting to document what I called my “Creative Field Reports”. The idea is to share any cultural visits or events I attend during my personal and work travels. The idea is not to review the gallery, museum, venue, or performance, but to focus on the overall personal experience and how it impacted me that day.