ANNOUNCING THE 2023 KRESGE ARTIST FELLOWS AND GILDA AWARD RECIPIENTS!
The 15th cohort of award recipients consists of 15 Kresge Artist Fellows in Visual Arts and 5 Kresge Artist Fellows in Literary Arts ($25,000 each), as well as 7 Gilda Awards recipients in Visual Arts and 3 in Literary Arts ($5,000 each). For the second year, awards in each category were proportional to the relative number of applications received.
In addition to the no strings attached monetary prize, Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients are invited to participate in a series of tailored professional development experiences that include skill-building, networking, promotion, and coaching opportunities.
“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. “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.”
2023 Kresge Artist Fellows photographed by 2019 Kresge Artist Fellow Cybelle Codish. Not pictured: Mario Moore.
Visual Arts Fellows
*Austen Brantley, Sculpture
Halima Afi Cassells, Interdisciplinary
Rita Dickerson, Ceramics
*Jessica Frelinghuysen, Performance Art
Louise Jones, Painting
Lauren Kalman, Interdisciplinary
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
Literary Arts Fellows
James D. Fuson, Poetry
Tuyishime Claire Gasamagera, Creative Nonfiction
Gail Parrish, Playwriting
Edward Salem, Interdisciplinary
Morgan Mann Willis, Creative Nonfiction
*Austen Brantley previously received a Gilda Award in 2017. Jessica Frelinghuysen is a 2021 Gilda Award recipient.
Gilda Awards in Visual Arts
Quinn Alexandria Hunter, Fiber
Kimberly LaVonne, Ceramics
Shanna Merola, Collage
Ackeem Salmon, Interdisciplinary
Manal Shoukair, Sculpture
Melissa Webb, Interdisciplinary
Lauren Williams, Interdisciplinary
Gilda Awards in Literary Arts
Cieara Estelle, Fiction
Liana Jahan Imam, Creative Nonfiction
Brittany Rogers, Poetry
Gilda Awards are $5,000 prizes for emerging artists, named in honor of Gilda Snowden’s (1954–2014) legacy as a mentor and champion of emerging artists in metro Detroit. Gilda Awards recognize artists who are early in their artistic career, are gaining momentum, and who demonstrate exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and pushing the boundaries of their chosen art form.
The award recipients are selected by panels of local and national arts experts and practitioners, in their respective disciplines. The process takes many months and numerous rounds of review.
“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. “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.”
Visual Arts Panelists
Kyohei Abe, Artist; associate professor and area coordinator of photography, Towson University; executive director and curator, Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography
Isabel Barbuzza, Sculpture/Intermedia Professor. School of Art and Art History, University of Iowa. School of Art and Art History Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair
Andrea Carlson, Artist and writer; Co-founder Center for Native Futures
Tylonn Sawyer, multidisciplinary artist educator and curator; 2019 Kresge Artist Fellow
Juana Williams, Associate Curator of African American Art, Detroit Institute of Arts
Literary Arts Panelists
Andrea Abi-Karam, Poet & Performer
Jean Alicia Elster, Professional Writer; Middle Grade/Young Adult Author; 2017 Kresge Artist Fellow
Jonah Mixon-Webster, Poet; Performer; Sound Artist; Mellon Arts Postdoc Fellow, Columbia University
Robert Pincus, Ph.D., art critic, art historian, author and adjunct professor, California State University, Long Beach and University of San Diego
Kelsey Ronan, Prose writer, Director of Room Project
Application information for the 2024 Kresge Artist Fellowships in Live Arts and Film & Music will be available in fall 2023.
Since 2008, Kresge Arts in Detroit has awarded $7.9 million in unrestricted dollars directly to Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb county artists through 15 Kresge Eminent Artist Awards ($50,000 each), 278 Kresge Artist Fellowships ($25,000 each), and 52 Gilda Awards ($5,000 each). The Kresge Arts in Detroit program, administered by the College for Creative Studies, is generously funded by The Kresge Foundation.