NEWS Story: Application Opens for $40,000 Kresge Artist Fellowships

Starting December 1, metro Detroit artists are invited to apply for a 2024 Kresge Artist Fellowship. Kresge Artist Fellowships will increase from $25,000 to $40,000 and the number of fellowships will increase from 20 to 25 in 2024.

Artists residing in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb county can apply online for the no strings attached prize through January 18, 2024. There are no exceptions to this deadline. Applicants are encouraged to review the latest application guidelines at kresgeartsindetroit.org before applying.

The fellowships are funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by Kresge Arts in Detroit, a Kresge-funded office of the College for Creative Studies. In this application cycle, Kresge Arts in Detroit will award 25 Fellowships and 10 Gilda Awards in the Live Arts and Film & Music categories. The Fellowships and Gilda Awards will be divided between the two categories—Live Arts and Film & Music—based on the relative number of applications received in each category. Disciplines for each category include:

 

 

LIVE ARTS

Choreography, Comedy, Dance, Performance Art, Playwriting, Storytelling, Theatre Directing, and Interdisciplinary Work

FILM & MUSIC

Animation, Film Directing, Music Composition, Music Performance, Screenwriting, Sound Art, and Interdisciplinary Work

A total of 35 awards—25 Fellowships and 10 Gilda Awards—will go to artists of all career stages. Kresge Artist Fellowships are $40,000 no strings attached awards which include professional development offerings and a short film highlighting the artist’s work.

Artists applying for a fellowship can also choose to be considered for one of the 10 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. The online application allows artists to opt to be automatically considered for Gilda Awards if they do not receive a Fellowship.

KEY DATES

Dec. 1, 2023: Online application opens

Jan. 18, 2024 by 11:59 PM: Application deadline. There are no exceptions to this deadline.

The 2024 Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients will be selected by an independent panel of distinguished local and national artists and arts professionals. Previous applicants are strongly encouraged to re-apply, as new panels—with fresh perspectives—are convened each year.

Kresge Artist Fellow (2018) Michelle May says,

“the most impactful part of applying for me was being able to articulate not only what I do as a musician and composer, but why I do it and why I think what I do is important. It really helped me be much more introspective about my place in the world, which in turn expanded my art practice.”

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. While not required, applicants are encouraged to attend these sessions, which are designed to support artists in creating compelling applications for a Kresge Artist Fellowship. Artists can register to attend using the links below.

 

Application Info Session + Walkthrough (virtual)

Dec. 13, 2023

5 – 6:30 PM

Application Q&A Session (virtual)

Jan. 11, 2024

5 – 6:30 PM

Visit kresgeartsindetroit.org 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.

Kresge Arts in Detroit is generously funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by the College for Creative Studies. 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 $8 million through 15 Kresge Eminent Artist Awards ($50,000 each), 278 Kresge Artist fellowships ($25,000 each), and 52 Gilda Awards ($5,000 each). kresgeartsindetroit.org

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’s 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. Kresge’s Detroit Program collaborates with cross-sectoral partners to promote and expand long-term, equitable opportunity in Kresge’s hometown by centering the priorities of its residents. kresge.org