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Fellowship Application closes on Sunday November 2, 2025, 11:59pm (EST)
The 2025 Emerging Artist Fellowship provides financial support and professional mentorship for artists to develop their individual practices, to identify, elevate and promote Detroit-based artistic excellence. Artists will receive an exhibition and financial stipend to support them at a critical point in their career.
Three Emerging Detroit artists will be selected to receive $5,000 Fellowship Awards in 2025. The Fellowship will prioritize applications from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, and exhibition proposals that explore concepts addressing current issues and contemporary social justice topics.
Awardees that will be recognized are early-on in their careers, have ambitious goals and demonstrate artistic potential through creative risk-taking along with a clear vision of what they seek to produce and present.
Each selected artist will:
— Present a New Body of Artwork
— Receive $5,000 Stipend Each
— Gain Industry Experience and Knowledge
— Access Professional Mentorship
— Participate in Community Programming
Artists will be chosen based on their artistic excellence and dedication through an open call process and selected by a small professional arts jury. The goal of the fellowship is to identify, celebrate and elevate emerging Detroit artistic excellence by providing much needed resources.
To apply you must:
• Be 18 years or older, students are NOT eligible to participate in the Fellowship.
• Be a current legal resident of Macomb, Oakland, or Wayne county, and have resided in Macomb, Oakland or Wayne county for at least one year prior to the application deadline (November 2, 2025), and intend to remain a resident of the tri-county area throughout the year-long fellowship period.
• Provide a brief description of concept for one solo exhibition, preferably supported by applicable images.
• Provide an artist statement, biography, CV and website and/or links to social media, and include images of previous work. Please include year created, medium, title, and price in the captions.
PLAYGROUND DETROIT is a contemporary art gallery and creative agency based in Detroit, MI established in 2012. As a social enterprise, the mission is to support and develop opportunities for creative professionals, artists and residents in order to enhance and sustain Detroit’s creative economy.
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