How One Unscripted Moment at Qaumajuq Reshaped My Understanding of Community, Connection, and Leadership
by Dr. Stephen Borys, President & CEO of Civic Muse
Early in the capital campaign to raise funds for Qaumajuq, Canada’s Inuit art centre, we brought in the creative team at PRHouse to help shape our story. I had the fortune of being part of this video production from the very beginning—and what unfolded changed me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.
The intention of the video was never to convince people to visit the museum. These individuals were invited into the gallery space knowing they were participating in a video project—but they didn’t know what they’d be seeing. Many had never stepped inside the gallery before. Few had encountered Inuit art. There was no script. No coaching. Just the art. And the people.
What followed was extraordinary.
One by one, people stood in front of the works (all of them by Inuit artists) and offered raw, unfiltered reflections. Coming from different continents and life experiences, they found something universal in the art. They spoke of joy, belonging, connection, wellness. They saw themselves reflected—sometimes in ways that surprised even them.
And when we shared the video with the public as part of the capital campaign, we witnessed something just as profound: viewers watching from afar were moved just as deeply as those in the room. And that included me.
Around the time of the video production, the phrase Art is a Voice was being developed as the creative direction for the campaign. But this video made it something more. It revealed a basic truth: that art carries the weight of our stories, our empathy, and our humanity. It speaks to us—and through us.
Reflecting back now, long after the campaign had ended and the goals had been met, this video remains one of the most meaningful moments in my leadership journey. It didn’t just shape how I led as a Director and CEO. It shifted how I see and engage with community. It deepened my understanding of how people experience culture—and how art can bring us together, often in quiet, unexpected ways. Art even as a way of levelling the playing field.
The team behind the production of this video at PRHouse, taught me a great deal about voices and stories that matter. Their approach to creative direction was never about scripting a message—it was about creating space for people to speak authentically, and letting the story emerge from their lived experiences. — Stephen
