黑料专区

Metro Detroit visual and literary artists are invited to apply starting Dec. 1

DETROIT 鈥� Ten metro Detroit residents working in literary and visual arts will be selected to receive $50,000 each in no strings attached funding along with a suite of artist support opportunities. Unrestricted funding addresses the financial barriers artists face, strengthens the region’s creative economy, and affirms artists’ role in building vibrant neighborhoods. Newly revised guidelines for Kresge Artist Fellowships were released today and artists are encouraged to review them carefully.

Kresge Arts in Detroit is generously funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by the 黑料专区. The Kresge Artist Fellowship application opens December 1, 2026. Full application guidelines are now available at . Eligible artists residing in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties聽 are invited to apply in the following disciplines:

LITERARY ARTS

Arts Criticism, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Playwriting, Poetry, Spoken Word, Zines, and Interdisciplinary Work.

VISUAL ARTS

Book Art, Ceramics, Collage, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Installation, Metalwork, New Media, Painting,聽 Performance Art, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video Art, and Interdisciplinary Work.

Fellowship selection criteria include: a demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high-quality work, the potential to grow and advance in one鈥檚 career, and the potential to reflect, enhance, or impact communities within metro Detroit.

Also on offer are 10 Gilda Awards of $5,000 each. These $5,000 awards honor artist Gilda Snowden鈥檚 (1954-2014) legacy as a mentor and champion of young, emerging artists in metro Detroit. The Gilda Award recognizes early-career artists gaining momentum and demonstrating exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and boundary-pushing work.

The number of awards in each category will be proportional to the relative number of applications received. Applicants who choose to be considered will also be eligible for Gilda Awards if they do not receive a fellowship.

鈥淔or nearly two decades, The Kresge Foundation has invested in metro Detroit artists through individual awards. We have had the privilege of witnessing what becomes possible when artists have the freedom and resources to create, rest, invest, save, dream, and collaborate on their own terms. Every application offers a glimpse into the remarkable talent, vision and imagination that exists across our city’s creative community. What inspires us most is the many ways artists use their gifts to strengthen neighborhoods, spark connection and help shape Detroit’s future,鈥� said Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director for The Kresge Foundation’s Detroit program. “This year’s panelists will face an incredibly difficult task as always. Whether selected or not, no single award will ever define the quality of an artist’s work or fully measure their impact. We are deeply grateful for the time, care and vulnerability that goes into each application.”

Through this continued support, The Kresge Foundation affirms that artists are central to Detroit鈥檚 growth and essential partners in advancing opportunity and creating resilient, connected communities.

鈥淭hese fellowships prove that resources in the hands of independent artists who live, work, and build here strengthen our communities,鈥� said Katie McGowan, director of Kresge Arts in Detroit. 鈥淢etro Detroit is unlike any other place in the country and protecting its unique character doesn鈥檛 happen by accident. It requires sustained creative work to cultivate regional identity and inspire civic imagination. Unrestricted funding makes that type of work possible.鈥�

AWARD-WINNING FILM PROGRAM

Kresge Arts in Detroit offers each fellow the opportunity to work with a local filmmaker to produce a short film about their work. Select films have been screened and received awards at local, national, and international film festivals in recent years. In 2021, Detroit-based production company was awarded a Michigan Emmy for work on the series. .

In addition to the film, fellows receive one year of artist support including networking, professional coaching, and legal and accounting consultations.聽 鈥淭his award not only gave me financial capacity to pursue my writing more meaningfully but also the confidence to apply to other opportunities,鈥� said .

KEY DATES

November 2, 2026: Application guidelines available
December 1, 2026: Online application opens
January 14, 2027 by 11:59 PM: Application deadline

The 2027 Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients will be selected by a panel of independent, local and national artists and arts professionals. Winners of the 2026 Kresge Artist Fellowship had previously applied twice, on average. A new year brings new panelists with fresh perspectives; previous applicants are strongly encouraged to re-apply.

As it approaches its 20th year, the program continues to demonstrate how investment in the arts transforms what is possible for communities: fueling creative careers and animating neighborhoods.

APPLICATION INFO SESSIONS

Kresge Arts in Detroit staff will hold an online application info session and walkthrough in December, followed by a second online Q&A session in January. These virtual sessions are not required, however, applicants are encouraged to attend for support in creating compelling applications for a Kresge Artist Fellowship. Applicants can register to attend using the links below.


December 10, 2026
5:30 – 6:30 PM


January 9, 2027
5:30 – 6:30 PM

Visit for the complete guidelines, FAQs, and additional resources. Please direct questions about application requirements to Kresge Arts in Detroit at [email protected] or by phone at (313) 744-3204.

See our for graphics and additional resources.

Christina deRoos, a driving force behind Kresge Arts in Detroit (KAID) for over a decade, recently stepped down as director of the program renowned for its robust, innovative, and steady support of individual artists. She leaves a legacy of increasing opportunities for artists and advancing equitable funding in Detroit.

Since 2008, KAID has been a cornerstone of metro Detroit鈥檚 artistic community, investing in creatives across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by the 黑料专区, the program will have provided $10 million through unrestricted awards after the upcoming announcement of the 2025 Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Awards.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to imagine Kresge Arts in Detroit without Christina deRoos at the helm. She has been far more than a collaborator鈥he has been a true catalyst. Christina has challenged us, inspired us, and fundamentally redefined what this program can mean to artists and to the city. Her imprint is indelible, and our gratitude is boundless.鈥� -Rip Rapson, President and CEO, The Kresge Foundation

An accomplished , curator, and artist organizer, deRoos joined the program in 2013, hired by founding director Michelle Perron (currently director of the executive office for The Kresge Foundation). With a holistic and responsive approach to program design and administration, deRoos and KAID鈥檚 team of artists evolved the program in service of increasing artists鈥� compensation and creative freedom.

Working closely with The Kresge Foundation, the program doubled its Eminent Artist Award, now $100,000 per year, and fellowship award amount, now $50,000 per year, and also increased the number of artists receiving awards each year. This culminated in the distribution of over $1,000,000 via 35 awards, marking KAID鈥檚 15th program year and The Kresge Foundation鈥檚 Centennial year.

Additionally, KAID鈥檚 鈥渂y artists, for artists鈥� approach was instrumental in advocating for improved working conditions for artists. As a result, KAID received (Working Artists and the Greater Economy), the first model of its kind to establish a sector-wide minimum standard for compensation as well as a clear set of guidelines for the conditions under which artistic labor is contracted.

In 2020, accepting The Kresge Foundation鈥檚 request to design and deliver professional development and career support opportunities for the Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients, deRoos led the KAID program to substantially expand its annual program operations. Event and exhibition opportunities, legal and accounting support, and more were developed and produced by a staff of artists in collaboration with KAID program alumni as well as local media outlets and service providers. Highlights include:

EXHIBITIONS:

  • KAID facilitated two online exhibitions, Flash Your Lights (2024) and (2025), on view now through July 10.
  • The 2024 in-person exhibition, Representation, curated by Wayne State University, presented the work of 17 Kresge Artist Fellows in honor of the program鈥檚 15th anniversary.
  • In 2019, a multidisciplinary exhibition, , curated and produced by Wasserman Projects in honor of the KAID program鈥檚 10th anniversary, featured 13 Kresge Eminent Artists, Kresge Artist Fellows, and Gilda Award recipients drawn from the 2008 鈥� 2018 artist cohorts.

FILM SERIES

  • From 2017 鈥� 2025, the award-winning KAID film series expanded to feature dozens of Detroit-based filmmakers and evolved to invite any style of film. Fellows鈥� films have been screened as part of film festivals locally, nationally, and internationally. Online and in-person film premieres were presented in collaboration with DPBS (formerly DPTV), Trinosophes, Cinema Detroit, and the Detroit Institute of Art鈥檚 Detroit Film Theatre.

ESSAYS, PODCASTS, & ARTIST SALONS

  • The paired Kresge Artist Fellow Lillien Waller with an array of fellows and Gilda Award recipients to explore and amplify the distinctions among their creative approaches.
  • An 8 episode podcast series, , hosted by Imani Mixon and co-produced with Red Bull Arts, explored the perspectives of 18 artists, including 11 fellows and Gilda Award recipients.
  • The 22 episode Artist Salon series, co-produced with WDET, featured 50 Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients in conversation with Chris Campbell, Orlando P. Bailey, and Ryan Patrick Hooper.

COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS

  • KAID offered five years of support for the editors and featured artists in the (2020 鈥� 2024).
  • Three Sidewalk Detroit collaborations took place, including a neighborhood performance series during Covid and artist support for Sidewalk Festival, featuring work by Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients.

www.ccsdetroit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/BakpakDurdenphoto_LivinforMedia.jpeg Bakpak Durden

鈥淐ollaborating with Christina was a transformative opportunity for us to deepen our relationships and encourage radical place-based spatial interventions with some of Detroit鈥檚 most dynamic artists,鈥� said Ryan Myers Johnson, former KAID coworker and current executive director at Sidewalk Detroit. 鈥淐hristina was an exceptional partner, providing financial support and thought partnership on community facing initiatives that served as a powerful collision of creative experimentation, justice and artist empowerment through direct artist commissions at the Sidewalk Festival as well as an several iterations of our Now:Future Initiative, a conference and now residency that encourages artists to explore issues of economic security and spatial justice.鈥�

Working with 黑料专区, deRoos built intentional relationships between KAID and other 黑料专区 programs during her tenure to increase opportunities for Detroit artists while contributing to 黑料专区鈥檚 mission as a premier art and design college. Kresge Artist Fellows have given lectures at 黑料专区, curated 黑料专区鈥� alumni exhibition, and been featured in Design Core鈥檚 Detroit Month of Design.

www.ccsdetroit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CA9A7234-scaled.jpg 2023 Kresge Artist Fellow Mario Moore works with 黑料专区 students on campus

鈥淐hristina has made outstanding contributions to the KAID program over the past decade, demonstrating dedication and consistent care and commitment to the metro Detroit arts community,鈥� said Don Tuski, President of 黑料专区. 鈥淗er guiding principle of 鈥榳e work for the artists of Detroit鈥� inspired the program鈥檚 approach to engaging artists from a place of trust, service, and collaboration.鈥�

deRoos has been planning since 2024 to depart the KAID team to focus on her artistic practice and expand her freelance work, coaching emerging and established leaders in arts and culture and supporting philanthropic initiatives advancing economic justice and abundance economies. She spent the past six months as the Director of Leadership Transition, supporting KAID鈥檚 new leadership and their preparation to ensure strong programming and resources for artists will continue.

www.ccsdetroit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/KGMcGowan_2025_by-Noah-Stephens-scaled.jpg Katie McGowan

KAID continues to be staffed by a , including Asukile Gardner, Nicole Peterson, Angelina Starceski. As announced earlier this year, succeeding deRoos as director is , an interdisciplinary artist and advocate.

McGowan joined the KAID team as managing director in September 2018, was promoted to deputy director in 2022 and . Since 2021, she has led the selection process of the Kresge Eminent Artist Award, most recently awarding virtuoso jazz bassist and educator Marion Hayden, as well as the Kresge Artist Fellowships and Gilda Awards, which will soon include a 2025 cohort of artists to be announced later this month. McGowan created and produced the In the Air: Voices from Detroit and Beyond series with Wayne State University and the KAID Featured Photographer project, currently highlighting 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow Brian Day as he shares monthly documentation of studio practices and public art by Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients.

A native metro Detroiter, McGowan brings deep ties to the local artistic community, having co-founded the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit鈥檚 DEPE Space Residency program and served as program director for the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Her personal art practice explores the intersection of literary and performance art, often resulting in genre-bending nonfiction reportage. McGowan holds an MFA from The University of Iowa in Intermedia, as well as MA and BA degrees from Wayne State University in English.

First fellowship cohort in history of program to receive $50,000 each

Kresge Arts in Detroit announced the 2025 Kresge Artist Fellowships and Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist Award recipients. Twenty-five artists received the no strings attached prize from the program, administered by the 黑料专区 (黑料专区) on behalf of The Kresge Foundation.

For the first time in history, each Kresge Artist Fellow will receive a $50,000 award, up from $40,000 last year鈥攄oubling the original $25,000 fellowship established in 2008.

鈥淓ach year, the Kresge Artist Fellowships reaffirm a profound truth: that Detroit鈥檚 creative community is a force of resilience, vision, and transformation,鈥� said Rip Rapson, President and CEO of The Kresge Foundation. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 recipients exemplify the depth and breadth of artistry rooted in this city鈥攆rom poetry that reclaims identity and uplifts voice, to visual work that reframes legacy, place, and memory. Together, their contributions move us beyond what is seen and heard, into what must be felt鈥攔eminding us that the arts are not simply reflections of Detroit鈥檚 vitality, but active architects of its future.鈥�

The 17th cohort of artists consists of 5 Kresge Artist Fellows in Literary Arts and 10 Kresge Artist Fellows in Visual Arts, in addition to 3 Gilda Award recipients in Literary Arts and 7 in Visual Arts. Awards in each category are proportional to the relative number of applications received.

Visual Arts Fellows

, Painting (黑料专区 Alumni) , Interdisciplinary Work (黑料专区 Alumni) , Painting , Interdisciplinary Work , New Media (黑料专区 Alumni) *, Ceramics , Installation (黑料专区 Alumni) , Painting (黑料专区 Alumni) , Interdisciplinary Work , Photography

Literary Arts Fellows

**, Creative Nonfiction , Fiction *, Playwriting , Poetry *, Poetry

*past Gilda Award recipient **past Kresge Artist Fellow

Since its founding, Kresge Arts in Detroit has awarded nearly $10 million in unrestricted dollars directly to Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb county artists through 17 Kresge Eminent Artist Awards, 317 Kresge Artist Fellowships, and 72 Gilda Awards ($5,000 each).

鈥淲e consistently receive feedback from artists about the transformative impact of these awards鈥攖hey open doors, create connections, afford time for rest, and offer capacity for artistic growth and exploration,鈥� said Katie McGowan, director of Kresge Arts in Detroit. 鈥淯nrestricted grants underscore the core principle that artists deserve to be respected and valued. We look forward to seeing how this increased monetary investment in individual artists strengthens the arts and culture landscape in Detroit and beyond.鈥�

Elevating Artists鈥� Careers

In addition to the monetary prize, Kresge Arts in Detroit connects fellows and Gilda Award recipients to legal and accounting support, promotional opportunities, and more. Fellows also are invited to participate in a film series highlighting Detroit artists. The films featuring the 2024 Kresge Artist Fellows premiered on and are available online.

鈥淭he incredible class of 2025 Kresge Fellows and Gilda Award recipients displays the rich diversity of the arts in Detroit,鈥� said Don Tuski, President of the 黑料专区. 鈥淭he 黑料专区 is proud to honor these artists and their outstanding artistic achievements.鈥�

The Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist Awards

Gilda Awards are $5,000 prizes for emerging artists, named in honor of beloved Detroit artist and mentor (1954鈥�2014). The recipients are selected from the applicants for the Kresge Artist Fellowships. Gilda Awards recognize early-career artists who are:

  • gaining momentum
  • demonstrating exceptional potential through creative risk-taking
  • pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form

Gilda Awards in Visual Arts

, Interdisciplinary Work , Fiber (黑料专区 Alumni) , Photography , Photography , Painting , New Media , Fiber

Gilda Awards in Literary Arts

, Creative Nonfiction , Creative Nonfiction , Fiction

A Competitive Selection Process

Artists were selected through a months-long review process involving new panels of local and national arts professionals to reduce bias and provide fresh perspectives. Selection is based on:

  • a demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high-quality work,
  • the potential to grow and advance one鈥檚 artistic career; and
  • the potential to reflect, enhance, or impact communities within metro Detroit.

鈥淚 believe this cohort of artists represents how multifaceted excellence can be,鈥� said Sharbreon Plummer, 2025 Visual Arts panelist. 鈥淭hey are thinking critically about their respective practices and are unafraid to push boundaries within their respective media.鈥�

2025 Visual Arts Panelists

Ethan Bach, Experiential artist; Founder and executive creative producer, Alt Ethos Mariam Ezzat, Sculptor; Asia Hamilton, Photographer; Curator; Gallerist; Administrator, Columbia College of Arts Chicago Sharbreon S. Plummer

鈥淭he 2025 Literary cohort feels like a slow drive through Detroit,鈥� said 2025 Literary Arts panelist Jeni De La O. 鈥淪treet to street the scenery changes, but mile after mile the feeling is the same: craft without pretension, precision with heart.鈥�

2025 Literary Arts Panelists

Michael Awkward, Gayl A. Jones Professor of Afro-American literature and culture, emeritus, University of Michigan Jeni De La O, Poet; Creator, The Brown Study; Michelle Cruz Gonzales, Author; Menopunk; Professor of composition and creative writing, Las Positas College Josh Malerman, Author; songwriter; film director/producer; cartoonist Lev Mirov, Poet; Author; Fabulist; Interdisciplinary Artist; Historian; Doctoral candidate at Antioch University

Artist Information: For artist bios, photos, social media handles, and contact information, please visit .

Kresge Arts in Detroit is generously funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by the 黑料专区. The goals of Kresge Arts in Detroit are to enrich the quality of life for metro Detroiters by helping artists provide a broad spectrum of cultural experiences; celebrate and reflect the richness and diversity of our community in all its aspects; heighten the profile of arts and artists in our community; and strengthen the artistic careers of local

Artists. Since 2008, Kresge Arts in Detroit has awarded nearly $10 million through 17 Kresge Eminent Artist Awards, 317 Kresge Artist Fellowships, and 72 Gilda Awards ($5,000 each). The fellowships are currently $50,000 each and the Eminent Artist Award is $100,000.

The Kresge Foundation The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America鈥檚 cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit .

The 黑料专区 (黑料专区). The 黑料专区 (黑料专区) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and authorized by the Michigan Department of Education to grant Bachelor鈥檚 and Master鈥檚 degrees. 黑料专区, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. 黑料专区 fosters students鈥� resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society.

The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.