About
A foundation built around the making of work.
Masterwork is a small nonprofit with a volunteer Board of Directors and a deliberately narrow focus: support the creation of original work, the reach of community programming, and the artists who are just beginning.
Mission
Supporting Excellence in the Arts
Masterwork supports original artistic work, community-based programming, and emerging artists through grants, awards, and storytelling. The Foundation works across four disciplines — music, dance, theater, and visual arts — and reviews applications with panels drawn from those practices.
Because the Foundation is small, its decisions stay close to the work. Staff know the applicants, panelists know the disciplines, and the Board keeps the focus steady from one decade to the next.
History
Sixty years of support
A brief chronology of how the Foundation's programs took their present shape.
- 1960s
A foundation begins
Masterwork is established by a group of musicians and patrons who believe new work deserves the same support as the canon. Early giving centers on chamber music and recital programming.
- 1970s
Beyond the concert hall
Support broadens to theater and dance as the Foundation begins funding original work rather than presentation alone.
- 1980s
The Premier Award takes shape
The Foundation formalizes its commitment to the creation of new work, establishing a dedicated award for original commissions and premieres.
- 1990s
Into the community
Community arts programming becomes a distinct area of support, directed at neighborhood, school, and library settings.
- 2000s
Visual arts and four disciplines
Visual arts join music, dance, and theater as a full discipline, establishing the four-part structure the Foundation still uses.
- 2010s
Supporting artists at the beginning
The Emerging Artist Award is introduced to reach artists in the earliest years of professional practice.
- 2020s
A Life in the Arts
The Foundation begins recording long-form conversations with artists, adding storytelling to grantmaking as a form of support.
DemoTimeline entries are sample content illustrating structure and pacing. Final dates and milestones will be confirmed from the Foundation's archive.
What we support
Four commitments
Original work
Commissions, premieres, and the studio and rehearsal time that new work requires.
Community programming
Arts experiences delivered in the places where people already gather.
Emerging artists
Unrestricted support in the earliest years of professional practice.
Storytelling
Long-form conversations that document what a life in the arts actually asks of a person.
Leadership
Staff
Masterwork operates with a small professional staff supported by a volunteer Board.
Sample Executive Director
Executive Director
Sample Program Manager
Program Manager, Awards & Community Arts
DemoStaff names shown as sample placeholders pending Foundation approval.
Governance
Board of Directors
The Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board drawn from the four disciplines and the communities Masterwork serves.
- 01
Sample Board Member 01
Board Chair
- 02
Sample Board Member 02
Vice Chair
- 03
Sample Board Member 03
Treasurer
- 04
Sample Board Member 04
Secretary
- 05
Sample Board Member 05
Director
- 06
Sample Board Member 06
Director
- 07
Sample Board Member 07
Director
- 08
Sample Board Member 08
Director
- 09
Sample Board Member 09
Director
- 10
Sample Board Member 10
Director
- 11
Sample Board Member 11
Director
- 12
Sample Board Member 12
Director
- 13
Sample Board Member 13
Director Emeritus
DemoThirteen sample Board profiles shown to demonstrate layout. Real names, biographies, and portraits will be supplied by the Foundation.
Contact
Talk with the Foundation
Prospective applicants, presenters, and press are welcome to get in touch. Staff hold open hours in the weeks before each application deadline.
- Masterwork Music and Art FoundationMailing address to be confirmed
Support
Help Masterwork keep the arts moving forward.
Your support helps fund new work, strengthen communities, and provide opportunities for emerging artists.