WAG-Qaumajuq Director & CEO to Receive Honorary Doctorate of Letters from The University of Winnipeg

Borys will be awarded for his work in museology and advancing opportunities for the arts

Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 11, 2024: The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumqjuq is proud to announce that our Director & CEO Dr. Stephen Borys will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from The University of Winnipeg at its 125th Convocation on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Borys is a fierce advocate for the power of art to change lives and communities and has been recognized for being a leader in museological studies in Canada and the United States. Throughout his tenure at the Gallery, Borys has overseen the development of Canada’s Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq, now home to the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world.

Borys has served as Director & CEO of WAG-Qaumajuq since 2008 and has led the institution to international prominence and expanded its role and purpose locally. Under his leadership, WAG-Qaumajuq has developed into a community classroom, a training centre, and an employer for University of Winnipeg undergraduate and graduate students, while taking substantial steps toward decolonization and reconciliation.

Borys has worked to dismantle the hierarchy of the curatorial world and to recognize the systemic biases within the disciplines of art history and collecting. He has sought out the perspectives of Indigenous academics and elders, and initiated the Gallery’s first institution-wide equity study.

Since 2011, Borys has taught as an Adjunct Professor in The University of Winnipeg’s Department of Art History, where he has inspired many future curators with his formative course, “The Idea of the Museum.” He helped design the first master’s degree in curation in Manitoba, which now attracts students from across Canada, and created the “Art of Cultural Management” seminar in the Faculty of Business and Economics. His commitment to student training and mentoring continues to support Winnipeg’s vibrant arts scene.

Throughout his career, Borys has organized countless exhibitions, written catalogues and scholarly articles, lectured internationally, and has received numerous research and exhibition grants. He also actively volunteers on national and international arts and culture committees, including as previous chair of the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization (CAMDO), board director of the Canadian Museum Association (CMA), and Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD). Notably, he played a vital role in guiding the CMA’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions’ Call to Action #67 and served as co-chair of the CMA’s Museum and Indigenous Issues Council.

In 2023, Borys was awarded the Peter Herrndorf Arts Leadership Award, the Order of Manitoba in 2020, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals in 2022 and 2012. As an alumnus of the University of Winnipeg, Borys demonstrates the heights that graduates can reach.

Associated Links

WAG-Qaumajuq Director & CEO to Receive Award for Exceptional Service to the Arts
About our Director & CEO
WAG Director & CEO Stephen Borys Received Order of Manitoba
University of Winnipeg Convocation

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: 

Katryna Barske
Public Relations Officer
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1295
kbarske@wag.ca

About Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is a cultural advocate using art as a catalyst for change. The Gallery features an impressive collection of over 27,000 artworks spanning centuries, cultures, and media, including the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. Each piece has its own story to tell. Sharing these stories with the world is at the core of WAG-Qaumajuq. This is an engaging, accessible space where visitors can experience art and learning in new ways. Principles of equity, care, trust, and responsibility guide the institution towards meaningful impact and transformation. To learn more, visit wag.ca.

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