About Arts Without End
Arts Without End
Arts Without End is a foundation committed to inspiring lifelong support of the performing arts by encouraging young adults to perform, work, and learn about performing arts management. We do this by funding performing arts organizations to pay young professional artists or student interns through our foundation’s grant program.
This a unique opportunity to support the talent in our community and pay for young professionals to advance their proven artistry while also learning what goes into putting on a live artistic performance from the business side of things.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build a strong community support network for the classical performing arts through education, advanced study, and professional experience of teens and young adults, ages 15 through 25. We do this by providing sponsorships to performing arts schools and organizations to give access to artist pay and/or internships for teens and young adults.
About Our Founder
Mary Pat McCurdie
Our founder, Mary Pat McCurdie, grew up playing the violin. An avid violinist, Mary Pat played all the way through her college years in the Symphony Orchestra at the University of Utah, and then went on to play with the Salt Lake Symphony for three years. She also was passionate about ballet from the early age of 5 and performed with Canyon Concert Ballet in Fort Collins for over 20 years. She continues to practice ballet and modern dance through classes. Mary Pat was an active member of the performing arts community as a performer and stage mom, and now as an audience member and patron. She has served as a board member and Board President for Canyon Concert Ballet, served on the regional board of Book Trust, and is currently serving on the board of directors as Treasurer for the Fort Collins Symphony.
Mary Pat McCurdie founded AWE based on two working observations in the performing arts community; (1) youth who are passionate about the arts through high school and college don’t always become patrons and supporters of the arts as adults; and (2) there is a lack of funding and encouragement for talented student and young adult artists who want to choose a career path other than in the arts.
In order to keep the arts alive and well in our community, we need to encourage and support the youth who are not only going to work within the arts world, but also those who have other professional ambitions unrelated to the classical performing arts.