$200,000 gift for new student internships through Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Awards

The next generation of fine arts students can embark on new, community-based internships — thanks to support from the late Elspeth McConnell who established the Montreal-based Doggone Foundation in 2012.

“Elspeth’s feeling was that you should look first at what can be done in your own community and your own backyard,” says Paul Marchand, president of the Doggone Foundation. “She wanted Montreal to be a leader.”

Adds Marchand: “Concordia is a multicultural institution — something that appealed to Elspeth McConnell. If we help enhance Concordia, we can help advance what she believed in.”

On October 9, the Doggone Foundation announced it was giving $200,000 towards the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen. Now.

The gift will support the Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Award, which will annually provide $5,000 to 18 Faculty of Fine Arts students to undertake internships in non-profit organizations.

“We are grateful to the Doggone Foundation for its support,” says Concordia President Alan Shepard. “These opportunities advance our strategic direction to Get Your Hands Dirty. The Doggone Foundation is providing our students with opportunities for experiential learning to become highly engaged citizens of Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the world.”

The Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Award will be granted in all nine fine arts departments. Students who apply will be encouraged to come up with an internship project and approach a non-profit art organization of their choice. The goal of these awards is to allow students to gain on-the-job experience.

Internships can take place at museums, cultural festivals, exhibition spaces, community theatres, performing arts groups, artist-run centres, co-ops, libraries, schools, art therapy sites or other non-profit arts organizations and projects.