A deepening of public service

Opinion

Last week, after 17 years at the helm, I stepped down as director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Qaumajuq to launch a new cultural initiative called Civic Muse. I wanted to take a moment to share a few reflections on what we’ve built together at the WAG — and why this work continues to matter so deeply to me.

In recent years, museums and galleries have been called upon to do more and to be more in the communities around them. They’ve become much more than places for art and contemplation.

They’ve evolved into centres for dialogue, reconciliation, innovation, and safety. Calls from the community have breathed new life into the WAG, enriching and expanding our purpose in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first arrived.

The answer, simply, is that we rethought our vision of what a museum is and whom it serves. We let the community lead us, challenge us, and change us.

During my time leading the WAG and Qaumajuq, we raised over $75 million to create new cultural spaces and programs, secured another $60 million in sponsorships and donated artworks, and established million-dollar endowments for Indigenous and Canadian art acquisitions.

We brought major exhibitions to Winnipeg and produced countless shows celebrating local and Canadian artists, highlighted the gallery’s world-class permanent collection, connected deeply with the K–12 and post-secondary curricula, created signature events like the Gallery Ball, Crafted and Art in Bloom, forged partnerships across the country and internationally, and positioned the WAG as a global cultural and community destination — now Canada’s fifth-largest art museum.

But the truth is, what I’m most proud of isn’t captured by fundraising totals, visitor counts, or architectural accolades — though all are impressive and uplifting.

It’s how we responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action for museums, how we embraced UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and how we worked to embed equity into every layer of the institution’s life.

These initiatives tied us more closely to the community, giving a place and a voice to people who had long been on the margins of the museum conversation. Today, the trust, respect, and dialogue between the WAG and the community are stronger than ever — and that partnership ensures the gallery’s purpose remains not only relevant, but vital.

I’m often asked by colleagues around the world how we accomplished what we did at the WAG: how we opened Qaumajuq, built a world-leading collection of contemporary Inuit art, developed new models for program and exhibition co-development, reshaped our public mission, life-long learning platforms, and our organizational structure and business model.

The answer, simply, is that we rethought our vision of what a museum is and whom it serves. We let the community lead us, challenge us, and change us. Using art for positive change in the community really works — and truly matters.

That’s why I’ve decided to step down after 17 years as Director and CEO — to help other cultural organizations, in Canada and beyond, along their own paths of rethinking the museum.

Through Civic Muse, the new consultancy I’ve launched here in Winnipeg, I’m partnering with museums, universities, collectors, governments, and business and community organizations to advance cultural projects that place trust, equity, and creativity at the centre of civic life.

This isn’t a departure from public service; it’s a deepening of it. It’s a chance to work alongside boards, staff, artists, and communities — to share what I’ve learned, to learn anew from others, and to help shape institutions that can meet this moment with courage and accountability.

If you’re curious, I’ve shared more at civicmuse.ca, including a new blog where I write about promising experiments, hard lessons, and the ideas pushing our field forward. I’d love for you to follow along, challenge these reflections, and share your own insights.

Above all, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for the friendships, encouragement, and shared commitment that have carried me through this important work at the WAG and throughout my museum and academic career.

I’m excited to see where we can go next — together.

Stephen Borys is president of Civic Muse Inc. and the former director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.