Each year I eagerly await the announcement of the Kresge Artist Fellows. I am always impressed by the winners and their artistry. As a musician, I feel proud to be part of such a group of artists but more importantly Equally amazing is the abundance of talent that exists in Detroit.

For the 10th anniversary, I was chosen to be a panelist to judge over 400 applications and narrow them down to the Film and Music winners that are part of the Kresge family of fellows. A process which took several months.

The winners can be found by clicking here.

Photographer: Noah Stephens Front Row: Michelle May, Thornetta Davis, Rober B. Jones, Sr., Alex Way Second Row: Ben Corona, Julia Yezbick Third Row: Ahya Simone, David Binder, Toni Cunningham

Whereas I can’t go into details on the process, I will tell you that our artist community is sound and growing. We have no shortage of talent in any of the artistic disciplines and that is a head rush! We are fortunate to have such great creators of music, dance, film, etc. Perhaps once known as a profession for only hobbyists, being an artist takes discipline, imagination, attitude, and guts.

Within the Film and Music applications, it was refreshing to see such an array of artists that clearly demonstrate passion for their work. To narrow down hundreds of applicants to a small handful was a daunting task. In the end, our panel had the task of discussing and choosing the artists that would not only take home $25,000 but obtain the title of 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow.

Thanks to Christina deRoos and her team at Kresge Artist Detroit for their guidance and process. Special thanks to the panelists I had the honor to work with in this process. All very talent artists in their own right. Juanita, Regina, Wayne and Rashaad demonstrated their passion throughout this process.

2018 Kresge Artist Fellow panelists I served with included: Juanita Anderson, Filmmaker; Film Producer; Regina Carter, Composer; Musician; Wayne Horvitz, Composer; Musician; Rashaad Newsome, Multidisciplinary Artist