Carleton Community Members Appointed to the Order of Canada
By Leah Coppella
A Carleton University alumnus and honorary degree recipients have received the Order of Canada – the nation’s highest civilian honour.
Matthew Teitelbaum, an acclaimed art historian, is among the distinguished group of recipients. He graduated from Carleton with a Bachelor of Arts in 1979.
Teitelbaum is currently the director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Previously the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), in 1998 he was appointed as the Michael and Sonja Koerner director and chief executive officer. He oversaw the museum’s $306 million expansion of its Beaux-Arts building with architect Frank Gehry.
In addition to lecturing across North America, Teitelbaum has taught at York University, the University of Western Ontario and Harvard University.
Teitelbaum has authored many publications and exhibition catalogues on both modern and contemporary Canadian artists like Greg Curnoe, Betty Goodwin and Robert Wiens.
In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Teitelbaum was nominated for the A.D. Dunton Alumni Award, Carleton’s highest alumni honour.
In addition to Teitelbaum, two Carleton honorary degree recipients also received the order.
Buffy Sainte-Marie, a celebrated singer and songwriter, had a major influence on the Greenwich Village and Toronto folk music revivals for her songs about social justice. Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, she has received many awards and honorary degrees for her art. Today she is an educator and activist. Sainte-Marie received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Carleton in 2008.
Alanis Obomsawin is a renowned Indigenous director with over 50 films to her name. Obomsawin has received international honours and awards for her work. She was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada, having been first made a member of the order in 1983. She received an Honorary Doctor of Literature from Carleton in 1994.
The Order of Canada has recognized outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation since 1967.
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