A pillar of Manitoba’s artistic and curatorial communities will receive an Honorary Doctorate at The University of Winnipeg’s 125th Convocation on Friday, October 18 at 9:30 a.m.
Dr. Stephen Borys is a fierce advocate for the power of art to change lives and communities. Director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery since 2008, he has led the institution to international prominence while expanding its role and purpose.
Under his leadership, the WAG has developed into a community classroom, a training centre, and an employer for our undergraduate and graduate students, while taking substantial steps toward decolonization and reconciliation.
Dr. 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 WAG’s first institution-wide equity study.
A recognized leader in museological studies in Canada and the United States, he oversaw the development of Canada’s Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq, now home to the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world.
Since 2011, Dr. Borys has taught as an Adjunct Professor in UWinnipeg’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.
He has organized countless exhibitions, written many catalogues and scholarly articles, lectured internationally, received numerous research and exhibition grants, and completed extensive board and committee work.
Dr. Borys was awarded the Peter Herrndorf Arts Leadership Award in 2023, the Order of Manitoba in 2020, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals in 2022 and 2012. As an alumnus of UWinnipeg, Dr. Borys demonstrates the heights our graduates can reach.
For his outstanding achievements to Manitoba’s and Canada’s arts communities, and for establishing a model for how to incorporate reconciliation into curatorial and institutional practice, The University of Winnipeg is proud to bestow an Honorary Doctor of Letters on Stephen Borys.
In recognition of exceptional service, achievement, and distinction, The University of Winnipeg presents a variety of awards to deserving members of the University and wider community at our Convocation ceremonies. Learn more about our 125th Convocation.
