Meeka Walsh
Meeka Walsh, editor of Border Crossings since 1993, has been made a Member of the Order of Canada in the award’s 50th anniversary year. The citation addresses, “her contribution to the promotion of the visual arts and Canadian artists through the award-winning arts magazine she edits, Border Crossings.”
In recognizing Meeka’s award, Todd Scarth, the Chairperson of the Magazine’s Board of Directors, says, “Meeka Walsh has distinguished herself as a critic, as a proselytizer for the joy and importance of ideas, and as an essayist who makes connections across genres in her insistent, elegant prose. Beyond that, for 35 years she has been the very beating heart of Border Crossings magazine, a world-class cultural institution rooted firmly in Winnipeg. We are thrilled to see Meeka receive this well-deserved honour.”
The Order of Canada is among the highest civilian awards given to Canadian citizens. It recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The motto of the Order is, “They desire a better country.”
In acknowledging her appointment, Meeka says she is, “honoured to find herself among past and present appointees to the Order of Canada, all of whom have genuinely subscribed, in their life and work, to the Order’s motto. And how fortunate I feel to work in an area I love.”
Meeka Walsh will be presented with the award by the Governor General in Ottawa in the coming year.
About Meeka Walsh
Meeka Walsh, an editor, writer, art critic and curator, lives in Winnipeg. From 1995 to 2000 she sat on the federally appointed Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal; from 2000 to 2004 she was a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada; and from 2000 to the present she has served on the executive of Plug In ICA in Winnipeg. She co-curated “Winnipeg Now”, the 100th anniversary exhibition for the Winnipeg Art Gallery and has contributed essays on contemporary art to over 20 books and exhibition catalogues. In 2003 she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Western Magazine Awards and in 2007 the RCA (Royal Canadian Academy) awarded her a Gold Medal for her contribution to the arts in Canada. She has worked with Border Crossings for more than three decades and since 1993 has been the magazine’s editor.
Source: Border Crossings