Kresge Artist Fellowships are $25,000 awards, plus professional development support and the creation of a short film highlighting the artist’s work. Artists of all career stages are invited to apply. 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. Meet our Artist Fellows.

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). Meet our Gilda Award recipients.

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.).

In 2023 Kresge Arts in Detroit will award 20 Fellowships + 10 Gilda Awards 
Fellowships and Gilda Awards will be divided between the two categories—Literary Arts and Visual Arts—based on the number of applications received in each category.

Note: Kresge Arts in Detroit anticipates Fellowship applications in the categories of Film & Music and Live Arts will be available in 2024.

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 19, 2021–January 19, 2023), and
• intend to remain a resident of the tri-county area throughout the year-long fellowship period (July 2023–July 2024)

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 2023–July 2024), with the exception of ABD (all but dissertation) status Ph.D. candidates
• Individuals who received a Kresge Artist Fellowship within the last four years (2019-2022)
• Kresge Eminent Artist Award recipients
• Current Kresge Artist Fellowship panelists, staff members of Kresge Arts in Detroit and The Kresge Foundation, or immediate family members of any of these individuals

Eligibility confirmation:

If your application makes it to the final round of consideration for an award, you will be required to submit materials to document your legal residency in the tri-county area for the last two years.

Kresge Artist Fellowships recognize artists who have:

• 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.

• Early in their careers, and
• Are gaining momentum, and
• Who demonstrate exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form.

Applications are reviewed by two independent panels, one for Literary Arts and one for Visual Arts. Each panel consists of a mix of national panelists and local panelists. Panelists remain anonymous until the selected artists are announced in July 2023.

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