1. Winnipeg Art Gallery
2. Plug In
3. Frame Arts Warehouse

The Winnipeg Art Gallery has been an integral part our downtown core and our city’s appreciation of the arts since its establishment in 1912.

The expansive building on Memorial Ave. is home to a collection of 25,000 works of art – with 70% of the collection being acquisitions from private donors – and is a thriving venue for film and music as well.

“It’s more than just the art here,” Stephen Borys, director and CEO of the WAG, says.

“It’s a place that hopefully people can feel is their own. I’d like to think there are many reasons people would walk through our doors, beyond just seeing an art exhibition.”

In 2013, 100 Masters: Only in Canada was the most successful exhibition in the history of the WAG, drawing in over 60,000 people over the course of its 115-day run.

“Almost on a daily basis, I’d walk up into the galleries during the run of the show, and I’d see people I’ve never seen in the building, from pretty much every part of the city, and that told me we were doing something right,” Borys says. “It confirmed that art has an important place in our lives, and in our community.”

Also, the collection of Inuit art at the WAG is the largest of its kind in the world, which is pretty impressive considering the WAG is only Canada’s sixth largest gallery.

“There’s a level of accessibility, quality and engagement that is at an all-time high, and as a result, we are drawing in more people from different demographics,” Borys says. “There is something for everyone at the gallery.”

Part of the series: The Uniter 30

Published in Volume 68, Number 14 of The Uniter (December 4, 2013)