Kresge Artist Fellowships awarded to 20 in Metro Detroit
This story corrects the photo and number of winners.
Twenty Metro Detroit artists are winners of the 2023 Kresge Artist Fellowships and 10 have won Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist Awards. Each artist will share $550,000, an unrestricted award that can be used how they choose.
“We at The Kresge Foundation – like the community at large – are always excited to see who are our new Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients,” said Rip Rapson, president and CEO of the Kresge Foundation, announced Thursday morning. “As with Fellows and Gilda Award recipients of past years, we are proud to contribute to these 30 careers that in turn contribute to the cultural identity and vitality of our community as a whole.”
Kresge Arts in Detroit, which is funded by the Kresge Foundation and administered by the College for Creative Studies, has awarded nearly $8 million since 2008. This year, award recipients consist of 15 Kresge Artist Fellows in visual arts, five Kresge Artist Fellows in literary arts, seven Gilda Awards in visual arts, and three Gilda Awards in literary arts.
Kresge Artist Fellows will be granted $25,000 each, and Gilda Award recipients will each be awarded $5,000. These awards are given based on a record of artistic achievement, high-quality work, the potential to grow one's artistic career, and the potential to impact local communities.
“The literary and artistic scene in Detroit remains alive and thriving in the hands of this cohort and the artists who took the time to apply for this prize,” said Jonah Mixon-Webster, a 2023 Literary Arts panelist, in a press release. “The diverse work of this cohort and the pool of applicants is emblematic of the rich culture that is currently being incubated in the area, while remaining in touch with the voices of the nation and the world at large.”
In addition to the monetary prize, recipients are also invited to participate in a series of professional development experiences and coaching opportunities in collaboration with artists and organizations in the local and national art realm. The fellows will be paired with local filmmakers to create short films featuring their art practices and perspectives.
“For 15 years, The Kresge Foundation has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to Detroit artists and an unwavering respect for their contributions and impact,” said Christina deRoos, director of Kresge Arts in Detroit, in a press release. “Looking ahead to the next 15 years, Kresge Arts in Detroit will continue to champion abundant, unrestricted investment, consistent exhibition and performance opportunities, and other conditions that are necessary for artists to truly thrive.”
Here is the list of this year's winners:
VISUAL ARTS FELLOWS:
*Austen Brantley, Sculpture
Halima Afi Cassells, Interdisciplinary Work
Rita Dickerson, Ceramics
*Jessica Frelinghuysen, Performance Art
Louise Jones, Painting
Lauren Kalman, Interdisciplinary Work
Miranda Kyle, Painting
Elton Monroy Duran, Painting
Mario Moore, Painting
Robert Schefman, Painting
Erin K. Schmidt, Book Art
Rory Scott, New Media
Francis Vallejo, Book Art
Venusloc, Video Art
Tony Whitfield, Interdisciplinary Work
*Austen Brantley previously received a Gilda Award in 2017. Jessica Frelinghuysen is a 2021 Gilda Award recipient.
LITERARY ARTS FELLOWS:
James D. Fuson, Poetry
Tuyishime Claire Gasamagera, Creative Nonfiction
Gail Parrish, Playwriting
Edward Salem, Interdisciplinary Work
Morgan Mann Willis, Creative Nonfiction
GILDA AWARDS IN VISUAL ARTS:
Quinn Alexandria Hunter, Fiber
Kimberly LaVonne, Ceramics
Shanna Merola, Collage
Ackeem Salmon, Interdisciplinary Work
Manal Shoukair, Sculpture
Melissa Webb, Interdisciplinary WorkLauren Williams, Interdisciplinary Work
GILDA AWARDS IN LITERARY ARTS:
Cieara Estelle, Fiction
Liana Imam, Creative Nonfiction
Brittany Rogers, Poetry
"This year’s impressive 2023 class of Kresge Fellows and Gilda Award recipients truly demonstrates the impact of creativity in and around the City of Detroit,” said Don Tuski, president of the College for Creative Studies. “On behalf of CCS, I am proud to honor these artists and their artistic achievements, critically important work and influence in the Detroit community."
shassan@detroitnews.com