Ringling Museum Curator of Collections Recruited For Expertise At Top Museum in Canada
SARASOTA, Fla., -- March 28, 2008 – The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art announces the appointment of Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections, Dr. Stephen Borys, as the new Director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba, Canada. Borys will assume his position in Winnipeg in June 2008.
“The Ringling Museum attracts bright and ambitious individuals who aim for the highest standards for themselves and their work,” said Ringling Museum Executive Director Dr. John Wetenhall. “It is a tribute to the Ringling Museum that our staff is noticed and recruited around the world for their ability to exceed expectations and achieve success while at the Ringling.”
Since arriving at the Ringling in early 2006, Borys has overseen the reinstallation and reinterpretation of the 21 permanent collection galleries, led a team to produce a new Guide to the Collections (to be released in May), and oversaw the production of two iPod audio tours for the Museum of Art and the Cà d’Zan Mansion.
As the Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections, Dr. Borys was also instrumental in expanding the breadth and diversity of special exhibitions at the Museum. Borys has collaborated with major museums on the production of several upcoming exhibitions: The Triumph of Marriage: Italian Renaissance Cassone Painting with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; Venice in Canaletto’s Age with the Memphis Brooks Museum; In the Light of Naples: The Art of Francesco de Mura; and a number of important contemporary exhibitions, including Phantasmagoria with Independent Curators International; and the work of Canadian artist Janet Cardiff, with the National Gallery of Canada.
Borys came to the Ringling as the Museum was in the midst of completing its Master Plan. During his tenure, the Ringling opened four new buildings including the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing, the Museum’s new wing for special exhibitions in February 2007. Working with the development team, Borys helped secure a major gift from Mrs. Ulla Searing to endow his curatorial postion, now named the Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections.
The Ringling Museum, which is the state art museum of Florida, is one of the largest university art museums in its affiliation with Florida State University. Situated on a 66-acre site overlooking Sarasota Bay, the Museum has a collection of over 14,000 works, a staff of 200, more than 700 volunteers and an annual visitorship of over 300,000.
“With its talented staff and world-class collections, the Ringling will undoubtly continue to gain national and international attention through its exhibitions and programs,” says Borys.
“I am very pleased to have been part of the Ringling Renaissance, and will miss the dedicated staff and a community that has always rallied around the Museum and the Ringling legacy.”
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is Western Canada’s oldest civic art gallery, and the nation’s sixth largest art museums, soon to celebrate its centenary in 2012. With a dynamic staff of over 65, working in one of Winnipeg’s landmark buildings, the WAG has a permanent
collection of more than 23,000 objects and presents approximately 25 exhibitions per year. The Gallery collects and exhibits works by Canadian, American, European, and international artists of all periods and media, and is home to the largest collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world.
Prior to his position at the Ringling, Borys was senior curator at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio, where he also taught in the art history department. Before Oberlin, he was an assistant curator in European and American Art at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, and also worked at the Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal.
Borys holds a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from McGill University, Montréal, a M.A. in Art History from the University of Toronto and a B.A. Honors from the University of Winnipeg. He is currently working on his Executive MBA at the University of South Florida.
# # #