The Kresge Foundation is a private national foundation that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing in arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services, and community development, nationally and in Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans.

The foundation invites applications for the 2023 Kresge Artist Fellowships through its Kresge Arts in Detroit initiative. The program will award 20 Kresge Artist Fellowships and 10 Gilda Awards to Detroit-area artists working in the literary and visual arts. Kresge Artist Fellowships provide $25,000 no-strings-attached awards, a year of professional development support, and the creation of a short film highlighting the artist’s work. Gilda Awards—named in honor of artist, CCS professor, and 2009 Kresge Artist Fellow Gilda Snowden (1954–2014)—provide $5,000 prizes for emerging artists. Artists working in the following disciplines are eligible to apply:

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, and interdisciplinary work.

Literary Arts: This category focuses on arts criticism, creative nonfiction, fiction, graphic novels, playwriting, poetry, spoken word, zines, and interdisciplinary work.

Fellows will be selected on the basis of a demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high-quality work and, to a lesser extent, the potential to grow and advance in their artistic career, and the potential to reflect, enhance, or impact communities within metro Detroit. Gilda Awards will recognize early-career artists who are gaining momentum and who demonstrate exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Kresge Foundation website.