Carol A.Phillips
The Winnipeg Arts Council has announced that its executive director Carol A. Phillips will retire at the end of September 2024.
“Carol has been an esteemed leader and a dedicated advocate for Winnipeg’s artists and arts organizations, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of our city,” reads the news release.
“Since her appointment in 2006, Carol has exemplified dedication, passion and a tireless commitment to the arts and the artists who bring them to life.”
Before joining the Winnipeg Arts Council, Carol held positions at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. She managed Canada’s award-winning entry at the 2001 Venice Biennale and was chair of Canada’s UNESCO Subcommission for Culture and the World Decade for Cultural Development. She also initiated both the Mayor's Luncheon for the Arts and Winnipeg Arts Council Awards.
She has long championed Indigenous voices, including initiating the Indigenous Arts Leaders Fellowship through the Winnipeg Arts Council. At the Banff Centre, she created opportunities for Indigenous artists to design their own programs and she “co-curated the exhibition New Work by a New Generation at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, commissioned major public artworks by Indigenous artists in THIS PLACE, and spearheaded Close Encounters: The Next 500 Years, a cornerstone project of Winnipeg’s Cultural Capital of Canada program that was then the largest exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art ever staged in North America,” according to the news release.
Her awards are myriad and include the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Senate 150 Medal and the Creative City Network’s Award of Excellence in Public Art.
Source: Winnipeg Arts Council
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