Doggone Foundation’s new gift of $540,000 brings total support to Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts to $3 million
From left: Concordia President Graham Carr; Cherry Marshall, BA 06, MA 10, associate vice-president, Development, University Advancement; Doggone Foundation representatives Paul Marchand and Susan Avon, BFA 88, MA 94; Annie Gérin, dean, Faculty of Fine Arts
Concordia’s world-leading Faculty of Fine Arts marked a momentous occasion on November 14 with the special announcement of a $540,000 gift from the Doggone Foundation.
The generous contribution in support of the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now will establish the Elspeth McConnell Critical Curatorial Laboratory, named in honour of the foundation’s late benefactor, a long-time art collector and cultural patron.
The Doggone Foundation’s dedication to Concordia spans more than a decade. The latest donation builds on previous contributions, including a $2-million commitment in 2021 to fund experiential learning opportunities for fine-arts students.
With its new gift, the foundation continues its legacy of fostering hands-on education, providing invaluable resources for future curators, scholars and artists.
The announcement event, held at the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex on Sir George Williams Campus, brought together a distinguished group of guests, including Doggone Foundation leaders Paul Marchand and Susan Avon, President Graham Carr and members of the Faculty of Fine Arts.
‘The timing of this gift is particularly significant’
Dean Annie Gérin opened the event by welcoming the attendees and setting the stage for the announcement. She detailed how the Elspeth McConnell Critical Curatorial Laboratory would become a vital hub for curatorial studies, providing the state-of-the-art space and resources necessary for students to explore new perspectives, techniques and technologies in curatorial work.
“The timing of this gift is particularly significant as we prepare to launch in fall 2025 a new graduate certificate program in curatorial studies and practices, which will further expand our academic offerings and enrich the learning environment for students,” said Gérin.
“This program will be the very first of its kind in the province of Quebec, and as an art historian and curator myself, I’ve been hoping and working for decades for this to happen.”
In his remarks, President Carr expressed deep appreciation for the Doggone Foundation’s ongoing support.
“Paul Marchand and Susan Avon continue to honour Elspeth McConnell with their thoughtful, purposeful and visionary work,” Carr remarked. “This latest donation brings the foundation’s cumulative giving to Concordia to more than $3 million. It’s an extraordinarily impactful partnership that benefits the fine arts at Concordia, in Quebec and across Canada.”
‘A space for collaboration, exploration and innovation’
The event paid tribute to the late Elspeth McConnell, whose name will now grace the new laboratory as a testament to her philanthropy and contributions to the arts.
“We are honoured to have this new laboratory named in memory of Elspeth McConnell, whose passion for the arts and the development of young artists and scholars have left an enduring legacy,” said Avon, the director of the Doggone Foundation.
Following the announcement, a panel discussion moderated by Gérin featured three faculty members and art historians — Alice Ming Wai Jim, Michelle McGeough and Joana Joachim — who explored the transformative potential of the Critical Curatorial Laboratory. The panellists discussed how the new space would foster novel teaching methods and research practices, and how it will augment the experience of students in curatorial studies.
Dean Annie Gérin moderated a panel discussion between Alice Ming Wai Jim, Joana Joachim and Michelle McGeough.
“To have a space of our own, where we can come together, grow and thrive — this is so needed,” said Jim, Concordia University Research Chair in Critical Curatorial Studies and Decolonizing Art Institutions (Tier 1). “Our students have been hungry for this. This will be a souped-up curatorial lab, with state-of-the-art tools where they can experiment boldly.”
McGeough emphasized the importance of collaboration and sustainability: “I don’t think there’s a program like this anywhere that offers such hands-on experience. This lab will help students build connections and develop a sense of community, which is so important. It also gives us the chance to explore critical questions, like how to curate in ways that reduce our carbon footprint.”
In reflecting on what success will look like for the Critical Curatorial Laboratory and new graduate program, Joachim remarked, “If curiosity continues to thrive here in 10 or 20 years, we’ll know we’ve succeeded.”