The 2023 Kresge Artist Fellowship application is now open!
Starting today, metro Detroit artists are invited to apply for a 2023 Kresge Artist Fellowship. Applications must be submitted online via Slideroom by January 19.
For the 15th consecutive year of the program, Kresge Arts in Detroit will award 20 Fellowships and 10 Gilda Awards to artists of all career stages living and working in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Kresge Artist Fellowships are $25,000 no strings attached awards, which include professional development support and the creation of a short film highlighting the artist’s work.
The Fellowships and Gilda Awards will be divided between the two categories—Literary Arts and Visual Arts—based on the relative number of applications received in each category.
Fellowship selection criteria includes: a demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high-quality work, the potential to grow and advance in one’s career, and the potential to reflect, enhance, or impact communities within metro Detroit.
LITERARY ARTS
This category focuses on Arts Criticism, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Playwriting, Poetry, Spoken Word, Zines, Interdisciplinary Work.
VISUAL ARTS
This category focuses on Book Art, Ceramics, Collage, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Installation, Metalwork, New Media, Painting, Photography, Performance Art, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video Art, Interdisciplinary Work.
Early career artists are also encouraged to apply for one of the ten available Gilda Awards, which are $5,000 unrestricted prizes for emerging artists living and working in the tri-county area. The awards honor the legacy of Gilda Snowden (1954–2014), who was one of the 18 inaugural artists to receive a Kresge Artist Fellowship in 2009, and who taught painting at the College for Creative Studies for more than 30 years.
Gilda Awards are for artists who are early in their artistic career, gaining momentum, and who demonstrate exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form. After the 2023 Kresge Artist Fellows are selected, Gilda Award recipients are chosen from the remaining applications. The same application covers both awards; applicants need only opt in to be considered for a Gilda Award.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, January 19 by 11:59PM
There are no exceptions to this deadline.
“In a very positive way, applying for the Kresge Artist Fellowship forced me to articulate formally how I think about my work and practice. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on moments of growth and progress in my creative career, to celebrate what I’ve done, and to reaffirm my personal passion,” says photographer and 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow Brian Day. “I felt a sense of pride at stepping out of my vacuum to complete the application, and hitting that submit button with the realization that going through the process of documenting, describing, and formalizing your work is a reward in itself. Not to mention, of course, that old adage, ‘you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ Shoot your shot!”
Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients are selected by independent panels of distinguished local and national artists and arts professionals. Previous applicants are strongly encouraged to re-apply, as new panels—with unique viewpoints—are assembled each year.
