RBC Announces $500K Donation to WAG’s Inuit Art Centre

Winnipeg, Manitoba, December 6, 2016: The Winnipeg Art Gallery is pleased to announce the financial support of $500,000 from RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artists Project for the WAG’s new Inuit Art Centre. RBC’s investment in the community will enrich and enhance Winnipeg and the North, while creating new opportunities for Inuit artists. The announcement was made today at ArcticNet’s 12th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM2016), being held for the first time in Winnipeg at the RBC Convention Centre.

“RBC’s donation today will lead to emerging artist exchanges between artists in Manitoba and Canada’s Arctic, providing avenues for artists to grow and expand their techniques and experiences,” says Dr. Stephen Borys, WAG Director & CEO. “The Inuit Art Centre will create a permanent conduit through which artists can continue to share and create together. RBC’s generous contribution will help make that happen and we are incredibly grateful.”

The WAG holds in trust the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art. To allow this extensive cultural resource to be shared to its full potential, the WAG is building an Inuit Art Centre. The Centre will also house the WAG’s nationally recognized Studio art and learning program. More than a building, the Inuit Art Centre will be a national programming hub to support Inuit art and artists.

“RBC is honoured to support the WAG’s Inuit Art Centre to enable artists to grow through engagement with the vibrant art of the Inuit people,” says Kim Ulmer, RBC Regional President, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Western Ontario. “Art plays such a critical role in creating opportunities and vibrant communities. We’re excited to see the synergies that will develop through the training, mentorship and experiences that will be shared.”

RBC believes in the power of the arts to enrich lives and enhance communities. Through the RBC Emerging Artists Project, RBC engages in long-term partnerships with organizations whose programs bridge the gap from academic excellence to professional careers in all aspects of the arts.

A fitting occasion to mark RBC’s contribution to the Inuit Art Centre, ArcticNet brings together leading Arctic researchers, students, Indigenous leaders, policy makers, Northern community members, and private sector representatives to address the on-going changes in Canada’s Arctic.

Visit inuit.wag.ca and for the latest updates, follow us on Twitter (@wag_ca), Facebook (@wag.ca), and Instagram (@wag_ca)#inuitartcentre • Connect with RBC at rbc.com/emergingartists and on Twitter (@rbc_canada) and Facebook (@rbc) • For more on ArcticNet, visit arcticnetmeetings.ca and follow on Twitter (@arcticnet)

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For more information or to prearrange interviews, please contact:
Catherine Maksymiuk
Manager, Media & Marketing
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1767
Media-Manager@wag.ca

Tammy Sawatzky
Public Relations Coordinator
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1295
Publicrelations@wag.ca

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is a cultural advocate – a lens and forum – helping people see and experience more through art. Playing a vital role in the community, engaging and enriching people of all ages and backgrounds through art and culture, the Winnipeg Art Gallery thrives as a creative, innovative, and accessible place for learning, discovery, and inspiration.

The WAG holds in trust the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art. Breaking ground in early 2017, the WAG is creating an Inuit Art Centre to celebrate the art and to honour the Inuit. The Centre will bridge Canada’s North and South through exhibitions, research, education, and art making. It will also house the WAG’s nationally recognized Studio art and learning program.

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 36 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: rbc.com/community-sustainability

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