THE ELSPETH McCONNELL
FINE ARTS AWARD
Funded by the Doggone Foundation, this award is a terrific opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to create their own internship project with a non-profit organization of their choice.
Application deadlines: November 15 and March 15
About the award
The Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Award offers an amount of $5,000 for selected students to undertake internships in non-profit arts organizations and projects. Awards are granted in each of the nine departments of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as the Individualized graduate programs (INDI) and the Humanities Interdisciplinary PhD program (HUMA), for a total of forty awards per year.
These awards allow students in either the second year of a graduate program or the third or fourth year of an undergraduate program to gain on-the-job experience.
Students are encouraged to come up with an idea or project for an internship and approach a non-profit art organization of their choice to work with.
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.
How does it work?
- Choose a non-profit arts organization that you would like to work with or look at our internship opportunities.
- Come up with an idea for an internship project that would benefit them and make a difference.
- Contact the prospective non-profit organization to validate your idea and their capacity to host an internship.
- Apply for the award and pitch us your idea.
- Seize the opportunity. Awards are granted in each of the nine departments of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as the Individualized and Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate programs.
- Depending on the timeframe of your project, you may submit your application for the November deadline (for internships taking place January to April) or the March deadline (for internships taking place May to December).
Eligibility criteria
- Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. Undergraduate students must be in their second or third year of study, or have completed a minimum of 24 credits towards their degree. Graduate students must have completed one year (or 12 credits) of a graduate program.
- Applicants must be currently registered in an undergraduate or graduate program in Fine Arts and must attach their unofficial transcript report to the completed application form.
- Internship placements must be hosted by non-profit organizations or projects including artist-run centres, museums, cultural institutions, festivals, exhibition spaces, community theatres, performing arts groups, co-ops, libraries, schools and art therapy sites. These organizations cannot be within Concordia University.
- Internships must take place within the Greater Montreal region.
- Internships should typically consist of a minimum of 150 hours of work.
- The Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Awards are open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students.
Internship opportunities with non-profits
Students are encouraged to come up with their own project for an internship and approach a non-profit art organization of their choice to work with based on their interests. To facilitate the process, we have posted the profiles of several non-profit organizations who have already expressed interest in hosting a funded internship. This list of open calls is updated regularly, so be sure to check back frequently.
About Elspeth McConnell and the Doggone Foundation
In her lifetime, Elspeth McConnell was a passionate collector of Northwest Coast indigenous art and she and her late husband supported the education and development of talented young artists. The Doggone Foundation created by her is committed, among other things, to supporting artistic and art-related educational endeavours in her hometown of Montreal.
Giving Concordia Fine Arts students the opportunity to get experiential learning in artistic endeavours, The Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Award is a fine example of the Doggone Foundation’s implication with the arts.
