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Overview

KRESGE ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS are $25,000 awards and professional practice opportunities for emerging and established metro Detroit artists. Fellowships recognize creative vision and commitment to excellence within a wide range of artistic disciplines, including artists who have been academically trained, self-taught artists, and artists whose art forms have been passed down through cultural heritage.

GILDA AWARDS are $5,000 prizes for emerging artists, named in honor of artist, CCS professor, and 2009 Kresge Artist Fellow Gilda Snowden (1954–2014).

Fellowships and Gilda Awards are no-strings-attached awards, meaning artists may spend the money on any aspect of their creative practice or life (i.e. making new work, renting or purchasing studio space, travel, general living expenses, paying off debt, etc.).

18 FELLOWSHIPS + 2 GILDA AWARDS 
• Literary Arts: 9 Kresge Artist Fellowships and 1 Gilda Award
• Visual Arts: 9 Kresge Artist Fellowships and 1 Gilda Award

The independent panels that select the 2019 Kresge Artist Fellows will select the Gilda Award recipients from the pool of fellowship applications. Selected artists will be announced in June 2019.

The online application opens on Friday, November 30, 2018 and must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, January 17, 2019.

CATEGORIES

LITERARY ARTS
This category focuses on Arts Criticism, Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Playwriting, Poetry, Spoken Word, Zines, Interdisciplinary Work.

VISUAL ARTS
This category focuses on Book Arts, Ceramics, Collage, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Installation,
Metalwork, New Media, Painting, Photography, Performance Art, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video Art,
and Interdisciplinary Work.

Who May Apply?

TO APPLY YOU MUST:

  • Be 18 years or older, and
  • Be a current legal resident of Macomb, Oakland, or Wayne county, and
  • Have resided in Macomb, Oakland or Wayne county for at least the two years prior to the application deadline (January 17, 2017 – January 17, 2019), and
  • Intend to remain a resident of the tri-county area throughout the year-long fellowship period

Who May Not Apply?

  • Students working toward any degree at the time of application, or individuals planning to begin a degree-granting program during the fellowship year (July 2019 – July 2020), with the exception of ABD (all but dissertation) status Ph.D. candidates
  • Individuals who received a Kresge Artist Fellowship within the last four years (2015-2018) or a Kresge Eminent Artist Award
  • Current Kresge Artist Fellowship panelists, Kresge Arts in Detroit Advisory Council members, Kresge Arts in Detroit staff, Creative Many Michigan staff, The Kresge Foundation staff, and immediate family members of any of these individuals

Fellowship Selection Criteria

  • A demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high quality work (this is the main determinant in the selection of a fellow), and
  • The potential to grow and advance in their artistic career, and
  • The potential to reflect, enhance or impact communities within metropolitan Detroit.

Gilda Award Selection Criteria

Gilda Awards recognize artist who are:
  • Early in their careers, and
  • Gaining momentum, and
  • Demonstrate exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form.

Review Process

Applications are reviewed by two independent panels, one for Literary Arts and one for Visual Arts. Each panel consists of five individuals (3 national panelists and 2 local panelists). Panelists remain anonymous until the selected artists are announced (June 2019).

New panels of national and local artists and arts professionals are convened each year. Previous applicants are strongly encouraged to re-apply.