Latest news with #CulturalSector
CBC
14-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Stephen Borys leaves WAG-Qaumajuq to launch consulting firm
Stephen Borys is stepping out of the picture to reframe his career. The longtime director and CEO of Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq has resigned, after 17 years, to start a consulting firm called Civic Muse. "Civic Muse is probably the most natural evolution from the work I was doing at the WAG. It's really taking all that I've learned in the museum and cultural sector and sharing it with others and helping others succeed and engage more with the community," he said. "This seemed like a great time to make that transition." Borys said when he first took the position at the WAG, the goal was to build an Inuit gallery. In March 2020, the 40,000-square-foot building now known as Qaumajuq, the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world, opened its doors on the shared lot with WAG. "We raised $75 million to build the project. We've raised tens of millions more to support programming [and] acquire artworks. We built endowments, amazing exhibitions, new partnerships, a really strong robust K-12 and post-secondary curricular development, some really spectacular signature events," he said. While he called of those things "amazing," Borys said the thing he is most proud of is the enhanced engagement with the community: "How we've advanced and embedded equity at every layer of the institution [and] how we've responded to the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action for museums — really, how we made the WAG more accessible, more welcoming, giving people a place, a voice." While there is more he believes could have done at the WAG, Borys said it's time to help other organizations "shape bold strategies, inclusive programs, and impactful cultural projects." In his new role as president and CEO of the consulting company, he intends to help clients — be it museums, galleries, universities, government agencies, or private businesses — consider what more they can be in their cities. "Particularly institutions, organizations and business … that really believe that arts, humanities can help guide us towards more resilient, more just places," he said. "I feel the WAG has done that. I'd like to be able to take that and help others do the same." Borys said the decision to leave was his, not the WAG-Qaumajuq board of governors wanting a change. "I'm not really great with long, long good-byes and so this has all come together fairly quickly. But in a way, this is something that I've been working on, thinking about what would be that next chapter for me," he said. In a news release, board chair Aynsley Cockshott lauded Borys's leadership "during a time of important creative expansion and growth" and in guiding it to "become a model of diversity and inclusion." The board will launch a a search for a new director and CEO but until that person is chosen, Bill Elliott, deputy director and CFO, will take the helm.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Spain's PM Wants Israel Out of International Cultural Events over Gaza War
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Monday for Israel's exclusion from international cultural events such as the Eurovision song contest over its military campaign in Gaza, just as Russia was barred after its invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot allow double standards, not even in culture," Sanchez, a Socialist and long-time critic of Israeli policies in occupied Palestinian territory, told a conference in Madrid. "I believe that no one was shocked three years ago when Russia was asked to withdraw from international competitions after it invaded Ukraine and not participate, for example, at Eurovision. Therefore, Israel should not do so either," he said. Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Sanchez's remarks. Sanchez called on artists to stand up for threatened values such as democracy and peace, criticizing those who defend "a bland, silent, equidistant cultural sector". Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, faced controversy again during this month's finals in Basel, Switzerland, won by Austrian singer JJ, while Israel's Yuval Raphael emerged as the winner of the televote. Pro-Palestinian groups had urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel over the war in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, in Israel's offensive since a cross-border Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed around 1,200 people. Israel's declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas. Despite international pressure to end the hostilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would take control of the whole of the Gaza Strip. A year ago, Spain, along with Norway and Ireland, formally recognized a unified Palestinian state ruled by the Palestinian Authority and with East Jerusalem as its capital - a decision Israel has condemned as bolstering Hamas. Last October, Sanchez urged the European Union and wider international community to stop selling weapons to Israel, as Spain did in 2023.
