Philip Lindsay McLeod named Scot of the Year 2026
Philip Lindsay McLeod
The Scottish Studies Society’s Scot of the Year Award was established in 1993 to honour individuals with a Scottish connection who have achieved distinction through their contributions to Canadian society or the international community. (Click here to go to a list of past recipients.) We are pleased to announce that this prestigious award will be presented to Philip Lindsay McLeod, recognizing his creative legacy, community leadership, and meaningful role in advancing Scottish heritage in Canada. Festivities will take place in April 2026, near Tartan Day, in Windsor, Ontario, with full details to follow.
Phil McLeod in Scotland 2022
Philip Lindsay McLeod is a rare force in Canadian arts: a professional illustrator, designer and fabricator, and visionary collaborator whose Scottish heritage is woven through every stage of his creative life. Born in Windsor, Ontario in 1952, he discovered his artistic direction and his connection to Scotland early. At seven, he crafted his own pipe band costume for Halloween—hand-stitching a kilt from scrap tartan, borrowing his brother’s feather bonnet and spats, and proudly walking his neighbourhood in full dress. It was never a costume to him; it was identity. Those two anchors—art and ancestry—have shaped his personal, creative, and community commitments for more than six decades.
Philip studied Theatre Design at St. Clair College in the 1970s and became one of three founding members of Theatre Alive, a company that influenced Windsor’s performing arts scene for nearly thirty years. He supported the company for over two decades through set and costume design and through advertising, posters, and playbills, all produced through Partners Marketing Inc., the creative firm he co-founded and led throughout that same period.
His design work has travelled across Ontario, most notably through The Threshold of Magic: The Death and Life of Tom Thomson, written by Dr. Barry Brodie. Philip’s set design carried the production from Windsor’s SHŌ Art, Spirit & Performance to Art Windsor-Essex, the Heliconian Centre in Toronto, and finally to Owen Sound—honouring Canadian cultural history through bold, immersive design.
Alongside his theatrical work, Philip guided Partners Marketing Inc. for more than 20 years, serving clients across sectors with creative and strategic leadership. His influence earned him the Windsor Mayor’s Arts Award in 1994 and longstanding respect within both the corporate and artistic communities. Yet his most defining contribution has been the transformation of the historic Borden’s Dairy building—where his father and brother once worked—into today’s SHŌ Art, Spirit & Performance.
SHŌ Art Spirit & Performance postcard (with the SHŌ tagline inspired by the Clan McLeod motto), shows some of the events that have taken place
Founded in 2009, SHŌ began as a 1,000 sq. ft. experiment in collaborative arts practice. Under Philip’s leadership, and in partnership with Susan McLeod and Lorraine Steele, it has expanded into a 35,000 sq. ft. multidisciplinary arts centre located in Walkerville—the historic district built by Hiram Walker, maker of Canadian Club Whisky. SHŌ now houses 30 working studios and three event spaces booked years into the future. In 2024, the centre received the Community Arts Leadership Award, cementing its place as a cultural anchor in Canada.
Philip has also designed large-scale events for clients including Rotary’s 100th Anniversary, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, and Bridge Corporation management. He leads the design process from concept to construction, bringing teams together to build large-scale environments and structural solutions from the ground up.
SHŌ partners Susan McLeod and Lorraine Steele, recipients of the Windsor Endowment for the Arts - Community Arts Leadership Award
His support is not just generous—it's grounded in the belief that art thrives when people are given the environment, materials, and confidence to create. That philosophy has shaped countless emerging artists, including his sons, Toronto-based illustrator and author Kagan McLeod and writer-director Sean McLeod.
He joined the Scottish Society of Windsor Pipe Band as a teenager and contributed to it for decades, becoming a familiar and respected figure in Windsor’s Scottish cultural life. He later travelled to Dunvegan and the North Sea with Susan, his sons, and their partners, continuing his engagement with his family’s Scottish heritage. Today, he handcrafts sporrans from reclaimed leather and silver—an extension of the costume design work he has practiced for decades.
SHŌ’s current phase is supported by a newly expanded board structure, designed to raise the visibility of Windsor-Essex arts and champion creative projects with reach beyond the region and internationally—meeting a growing desire for genuine human creativity in an increasingly AI-saturated world.
SHŌ’s official tagline, “We hold fast a light for the arts,” reflects the Clan McLeod motto “Hold Fast” and the spirit behind Philip’s work.
Philip Lindsay McLeod stands as a creator, a leader, and a cultural steward, defined by a collaborative spirit that has shaped Windsor-Essex, enriched Canada’s creative landscape, and meaningfully advanced Scottish heritage in this country.
Thanks to Scottish Studies Foundation board member Jamie Lees at Jank Words & Pictures for preparing this announcement. More information can be found via the following link:
https://www.jank.ca/phil-mcleod