During this period of unprecedented growth, the profile and reputation of the Gallery have flourished, providing new opportunities for engagement and impact.
The Gallery’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan is structured around four core commitments. They serve as guiding principles to make sure that the Plan’s objectives are aligned with our values. To support these commitments, goals have been identified for each year of the strategic plan. Follow along as we put into action Equity, Care, Trust, and Responsibility to deliver on our core purpose.
Jump to our Equity Action Plan.
Our Purpose:
We Use Art for Positive Change
Who Are We?
- Collaborators
- Creators
- Innovators
Who Do We Serve?
- Community
- Artists and cultural workers
- Stakeholders
Why Are We Here?
- To forge new paths and share insights
- To be of service and relevance to all
- To make a difference
What Are We Doing?
- Evolving the role and profile of the museum
- Empowering through equity
- Re-imagining art for change
How Are We Doing It?
- Value-based decision-making around four core commitments of Equity, Care, Trust, and Responsibility
Our Values, Our Commitments
Equity
We centre EQUITY in decision-making through accountable systems and processes, including policies, recruitment, training, collections, exhibitions, and programs. Learn about our Equity Action Plan.
Care
We take CARE of art and those who encounter it, with a regenerative approach to collections, infrastructure, and the environment, and by prioritizing visitors, artists, volunteers, staff, Indigenous Nations, and racialized communities.
Trust
We earn the TRUST of the community through strong relationships, partnerships, welcoming, safety, transparency, and shared knowledge and information.
Responsibility
We take RESPONSIBILITY for our actions and resources with investments in community engagement and learning; advocacy, in particularly with Indigenization and reconciliation; financial agility and measuring KPIs; and growth with a focus on stewardship and legacy.
GOALS, ACTIONS, IMPACT, and CHANGE
Using art for positive change in the community has the potential of becoming the catalyst for creating a stronger and more sustainable future for WAG-Qaumajuq, and ultimately the public. A new building, deeper learning roots, stronger community ties, a unique retail niche, and invested corporate and government partners are key to supporting this goal. Our expertise, relevance, and commitment in the cultural sector in Winnipeg and across Canada continues to develop and be deployed. The profile and reputation of the new WAG-Qaumajuq have flourished, providing new opportunities for growth and impact.
Being accountable through regular reporting on the Goals of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan will help ensure effective implementation as progress is measured and tracked in a comprehensive manner. Specific KPIs and internal and external outcomes are supported by strategic impact stories, which highlight the real-world outcomes and positive changes that have resulted from the plan. Beyond data and statistics, narratives illustrate the ways we make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and they serve as powerful tools for communicating the value and impact of the Gallery.
WAG-Qaumajuq has become a model for the new museum in Canada, balancing the role of art and artmaking, community engagement and learning, Indigenization and reconciliation, and operational sustainability. A sustainable model means a fundable model, which attracts more stakeholders. As we embrace values that ensure we remain relevant and impactful, we must be financially innovative, resilient, and responsible, building trust with equity and care. This robust model will advance the Gallery within and beyond the museum and cultural sector, beginning with the community of Winnipeg.
Using the Gallery’s prized assets and cultural currency to build positive change in the community can be achieved through the generation of new ideas and the regeneration of existing ones, using reflective insights to connect with the societal and environmental systems around us. Our objective is to listen actively, share knowledge proactively and to influence, inspire, and lead from within the organization to extend a welcome to more people. Taking regenerative actions requires a concerted shift to embrace new business goals, build new revenues, and forge new partnerships.
With a renewed focus on community, beginning in Winnipeg, we are able to amplify our purpose, fostering greater investment and broadening our multi-generational audience base. Community-based and collaborative exhibitions and learning programs will invite Winnipeg’s many diverse individuals, families, and groups in, encouraging those who live here to see themselves in the Gallery. Cultural organizations that respond first locally are poised to scale their growth, influence and most importantly, a sustainable legacy in the heart of the community.
The Gallery’s coveted industry position, reputation, and expertise are at the forefront of a design to see these assets fully mobilized and converted into greater organizational agility and financial growth. As a Thought Leader, we reinforce our reputation and profile, define and broadcast our areas of expertise, stay ahead of cultural trends and relevant issues, remain open to working outside of the norm, and maintain dialogue with visitors and audiences. Marketing and communications are used to embolden our role as a Thought Leader.
Equity Action Plan
In 2021, WAG-Qaumajuq proactively sought Equitable Solutions Consulting to identify how systemic oppressions were manifesting within the organization and inform its next steps in decolonizing the institution. Through an inclusive and rigorous assessment, a report has been produced and shed light on crucial areas that require attention to foster a more equitable, diverse, welcoming, and accountable environment. The Equity Action Plan responds to the findings and recommendations of that report.
The report delivered in August 2022 contained 75 recommendations in several areas of WAG-Qaumajuq’s operations, including recommended changes to and renewed focus on:
- Leadership functions and corporate structure
- Policies and practices
- Employee and leadership performance expectations
- Bias-reduction practices
- Employee wellbeing
- Education and training
- Assessment and research
- Visitor experiences
- External relations
The development of the Equity Action Plan took place between August 2023 and August 2024 and included a series of meetings and workshops with all WAG-Qaumajuq staff led by the Head of Indigenous Ways & Learning and the Manager of Equity, resulting in active collaboration from all departments. An evaluation of the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan identified which projects were directly or indirectly related to specific recommendations and meetings with project leads discussed how these projects could be incorporated into the Equity Action Plan.
During this process, the Gallery also identified that as of April 2024, 23 of the 75 recommendations included in the report have already been implemented or are current practices at WAG-Qaumajuq. Eleven recommendations were deemed unfeasible or adapted to align with the Gallery’s strategic aspirations. A total of 61 action items were designed to address the remaining recommendations, each containing specific, measurable, realistic objectives, and potential timelines.
At the final stage of the development phase, the Leadership Team collectively reviewed these action items and timelines and designed the reporting structure of the Equity Action Plan, grouping them into themes and departments.
In summary, over the next 4 years, the 61 action items projected within the Equity Action Plan will enable the Gallery to:
- Review its policies and design equitable structured decision-making processes
- Improve data collection, feedback and accountability mechanisms
- Advance toward an equitable demographic representation
- Enhance People & Culture processes
- Expand relationships with Indigenous and Racialized Artists
- Continue to enrich and diversify collections and exhibitions
- Integrate equity into Collection & Exhibition Processes
- Continue to promote equity and cultural integrity in communication
- Advance engagement and accountability within the WAG-Qaumajuq community
- Have a Public Accountability Commitment
- Have an Accessibility Plan
- Empower Diverse Voices and Narratives
- Provide Equity Training and Education to all staff
- Promote Equity-Driven Partnerships
- Cultivate Equity and Cultural Enrichment in the ShopWAG
- Expand Accessibility and Inclusive Experiences
Equity in Action: Where We Stand Today
Sharing the same four pillars of the Gallery’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan—Equity, Care, Trust and Responsibility—the Equity Action Plan provides a framework for meaningful change and advancement in our decolonization efforts, allowing the WAG-Qaumajuq to flourish as a beacon of artistic excellence and cultural representation for the community it serves.
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