Red Bull Expands Its Arts Initiatives in Detroit With Cash Stipends and Micro-Grants for Artists, Curators, and Writers

Participants in Red Bull's new Detroit-based programs can receive up to $12,000.

Red Bull Arts Detroit. Photo: courtesy of Red Bull Arts.

The energy drink giant Red Bull is ramping up its art initiatives in the US with an expansion in Detroit. The company plans to establish an expanded artist residency program, a micro-grant program for local artists, and new fellowships for visiting curators and writers.

Red Bull Arts Detroit, as the initiative will be known, is set to launch in 2019. Perks for grant winners include stipends of $12,000 for artists, $10,000 for curators, and $2,000 for writers. Artists-in-residence will receive studio space for three months as well as travel and housing accommodations.

The curatorial fellowship, meanwhile, offers curators 10 monthly visits to research and develop a contemporary art exhibition in Detroit. Writers will have the opportunity to travel to the city twice to develop a piece of writing and a public program. Finally, the micro-grant initiative provides several $1,000 grants to Detroit-based artists so they can spend less time on their day jobs and dedicate more attention to their practice. The grants are accompanied by career counseling from Red Bull Arts Detroit staff.

Candidates for the new programs will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of Detroit insiders including president and CEO of United States Artists Deana Haggag; poet and Detroit native Airea D. Matthews; University of Illinois museum studies professor Lucy Mensah; former Queens Museum director Laura Raicovich; and dancer and choreographer John Michael Schert. Over the course of their residency or fellowship, participants may choose to call on the panel for advice, counsel, or networking support.

Applications for the new initiatives open today. The deadline for applications for the writing and curatorial fellowships and artist residency is August 24. Micro-grant applications are due November 29.

The expansion in Detroit follows a successful run of exhibitions in New York, where Red Bull Arts has staged shows by artists Mel Chin, Bjarne Melgaard, and Rammellzee, among others.


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