Kresge Arts in Detroit

09/17/2026

07/08/2026

❝Detroit is rich in artistry in every sense, and that richness was well represented in the pool of applicants. What I love about this opportunity is that it….makes space for a heartbeat to be present, unafraid to surface the raw and diverse stories that we as artists carry into the world. Detroit doesn't ask what art should look like. It trusts what it already knows.❞
- Karilú Alarcón Forshee

Meet the panelists who selected the 2026 Kresge Artists Fellows and Gilda Award recipients:

⭐ 2026 LIVE ARTS PANELISTS⭐

• Darryl Kent Clark, Choreographer; Director; Performing artist; Associate professor, musical theatre dance, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

• Karilú Alarcón Forshee, Interdisciplinary Performing Artist; Youth Arts advocate; Program Manager, CultureSource; 2020 Kresge Artist Fellow

• William Hector, Playwright; Novelist; Founder and artistic director of the Coconut Grove Theatre Festival

• Liz Joynt Sandberg, Director; Writer; Improviser; Sketch Comedian, The Second City, Baby W**e Comedy, The Annoyance Theater, iO Chicago, Comedy Theater

• Alex Trajano, Sound Designer, Audible Studios; Musician; Audio engineer; Host of The Moth StorySlam, Detroit

⭐ 2026 FILM & MUSIC PANELISTS⭐

• Katy Dresner, Filmmaker; Interdisciplinary Artist; 2024 Kresge Artist Fellow

• Todd Johnson, TV Lounge; Sun & Sound Detroit; Charivari Detroit

• Angelo Madsen, Artist; Filmmaker, University of Vermont

• Dr. Jasmine Pigott, Performer; Composer; Educator; Storyteller; Meinl Weston Performing Artist; Adjunct Professor of Tuba, Rowan University

• Janis Shen, Artist Manager & Entertainment Attorney; Co-Founder and CEO, Wax Management; Of Counsel at Covey Law, Arts & Entertainment practice; Director, CAPENY

Each year, award recipients are selected by panels of local and national arts experts and practitioners. New panelists are assembled each award cycle. Learn more: https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/announcement/2026-kresge-artist-fellows-and-gilda-awards/

07/02/2026

We are pleased to announce the 2026 Kresge Artist Fellows in Live Arts and Film & Music!

🎊LIVE ARTS FELLOWS
GALAXY*, Performance Art
Ed Miller, Dance and Choreography
Karen Prall, Dance and Choreography

🎉FILM & MUSIC FELLOWS
Frisly Soberanis, Film Directing*
Maurice "Pirahnahead" Herd, Music Composition
Shahida Nurullah, Music Performance
Salar Ansari, Music Composition and Performance
Mitch McCabe, Interdisciplinary Work
Jeremy Brockman*, Film Directing and Screenwriting
Ackeem Salmon*, Interdisciplinary Work

*past Gilda Award recipient
**past Kresge Artist Fellow

Learn more about the 2026 Fellowship cohort: https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/announcement/2026-kresge-artist-fellows-and-gilda-awards/

07/02/2026

Introducing the 2026 Gilda Award Recipients in Live Arts and Film & Music!

✨ GILDA AWARDS IN LIVE ARTS ✨
Ayman "Mino" Aboutaleb, Dance and Choreography
Levon Kafafian, Interdisciplinary Work
ChrisWoolfolk, Dance and Choreography

✨ GILDA AWARDS IN FILM & MUSIC ✨
Kasan Belgrave, Music Composition and Performance
Ifayomi Christine, Film Directing
Kashira Dowridge, Film Directing
RAEDY LEX, Music Composition and Performance
Ashley Sorrell, Music Performance
Nico Swan, Interdisciplinary Work
Vaughn Taormina, Animation

Learn more about the 2026 Gilda Award recipients:
https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/announcement/2026-kresge-artist-fellows-and-gilda-awards/

05/13/2026

"...then I thought pink was the color of girlhood so I wore only blue for years..."
🏆 Brittany Rogers | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow, 2023 Gilda Award recipient

🎬 A film by radical play showcasing
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Brittany Rogers is a Black q***r poet, multidisciplinary artist, and lifelong Detroiter. Audacity is the overarching concept that activates her creative process; Rogers is fascinated by boldness, risk-taking, and experimentation. Her work has been published in Lit Hub, Prairie Schooner, Apogee, Indiana Review, Underbelly, The Metro Times, Lambda Literary, and Oprah Daily. Rogers is editor-in-chief of Muzzle Magazine, host of VS Podcast, and author of the poetry collection “Good Dress” (Tin House, 2024), a 2025 Michigan Notable Books selection. She obtained her MFA in poetry from Randolph College.

05/11/2026

"Getting these murals up, or projects of this scale out in the world, it's physically exhausting and there's a bit of a mental toll. But I think if that's the price to pay, to get these stories out and have people relate, I think it's well worth it."
🏆 Ivan Montoya | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow

🎬 A film by showcasing
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Ivan Montoya-Vazquez (b. Chihuahua, Mexico, 1995) is a Detroit-based painter and muralist. Montoya, along with his family, emigrated to Michigan in 2000. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies in 2017 and received the Imre J. Molnar Artistic Achievement Award, appointing him a merit-based valedictorian. He is a recipient of the 2022 Emerging Artist Fellowship supported by the Knight Foundation and is featured in New American Paintings Midwest issue for 2023. Montoya has partnered with clients including Coca-Cola, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and Michigan Central.

05/08/2026

"When I make objects, I really want people to see themselves in it and I also really want them to feel seen when they see my work."
🏆 Elise Marie Martin | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow

🎬 A film by showcasing .art.in
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Elise Marie Martin (b.1990, Metro Detroit) is a visual artist and educator with a BFA from the College for Creative Studies (2012) and an MFA in fibers from Wayne State University (2021). Her work explores empathy, comfort, and care through fiber arts, sculpture, and installation. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including residencies such as Atelier Frankfurt and WOMXN HOUSE DETROIT. She has taught at Wayne State University, the College for Creative Studies, and in local community programs, emphasizing accessible art education and engagement.

05/06/2026

"...I hope that it transports you to this moment, the way the work transports me to the memories that I have..."
🏆 Kimberly LaVonne | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow, 2023 Gilda Award recipient

🎬 A film by showcasing
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Kimberly LaVonne is a ceramic artist exploring her Panamanian heritage, the body, death, and remembrance through hand-built forms and sgraffito. LaVonne earned her Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Buckham Gallery (MI), Oliva Gallery (IL), and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts (TX). She has completed residencies at the International Ceramics Studio (Hungary) and Charlotte Street Studio Foundation (MO). Recently, she was awarded a Fund for the Arts Grant through the National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures.

05/04/2026

"I want you to know that when I cut fresh leaves for your each morning, it is because I love you."
🏆 Maya Davis | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow

🎬 A film by radical play showcasing
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Maya Davis explores the interconnected concepts of care, preservation, and resilience through diverse media and processes. They examine care as both an intimate act and a collective responsibility, drawing parallels between the colonial and ecological histories that shape communities and ecosystems. Davis has exhibited throughout the Midwest and worked alongside organizations such as Modern Ancient Brown, Independent Curators International, and Bulk Space. Their work has been supported by Sidewalk Detroit, Culture Source, and MDW Coalition.

04/29/2026

"I've been writing ever since elementary school and I haven't stopped. That's my love, that's what I do: that's who the creator created me to be. That's what I love to do, and that's what I do."
🏆 Anetria Cole | 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow, 2022 Gilda Award recipient

🎬 A film by .c.cunningham showcasing
Series produced by and Kresge Arts in Detroit. Watch the full showcase on Detroit PBS, link in bio.

Artist Bio: Anetria Cole, a distinguished playwright from Pontiac, Michigan, has garnered acclaim for her exceptional contributions to the world of arts. In 2022, she won the Gilda Award from Kresge Arts in Detroit for her outstanding achievements in live arts. In 2024, she received a recognition award from Pontiac’s Golden Opportunity Club for her play, “Wessen & Bagley.” Cole’s work explores the historical and modern complexities of African American life in the United States, showcasing her ability to craft compelling narratives about the African American experience.