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June 30, 2025, DETROIT, MI — Michigan Central x Newlab today announced the 2025 participants in its Creative Residency, including both Fellows and Cohort members. This expanded initiative supports cultural practitioners pursuing projects at the intersection of art, technology, and community.

Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the program provides financial support, access to design and fabrication resources, and a collaborative learning environment. Now in its second year, the residency program creates new pathways for creative and technological experimentation.

The Michigan Central x Newlab Creative Residency provides space, tools, and networks to experiment and build cross-sector partnerships. Situated within the broader Michigan Central innovation ecosystem, and focused on process over product, the program champions creative entrepreneurship and explores sustainable ways to support today’s cultural producers.

The residency is a key initiative of Michigan Central Art, the cultural non-profit of Michigan Central, which ensures art and creative practice are central to the district’s growth. In partnership with Newlab — a global venture platform for critical technology startups — the residency fully integrates artists into Detroit’s innovation ecosystem with access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities and labs.

“Detroit has always been a generator for creative ingenuity, where cultural vision and technological experimentation intersect,” said Kelly Kivland, Director and Lead Curator of Michigan Central Art. “This program builds on that spirit, by equipping artists with the space, tools, and collaborative environment to challenge norms and shape new narratives.”

“For over a decade, Newlab has welcomed artists into our communities—not only to elevate their practice, but to challenge and expand how startups think about culture, community, and creativity,” said David Belt, Founder and CEO of Newlab. “This kind of exchange sharpens the imagination behind critical technology and ensures it lands in the world with intention.”

2025 Fellowship

The fellowship supports three creative practitioners with a $30,000 stipend, workspace and prototyping labs, and mentorship from researchers working on art, technology, and society. This year’s fellows are:

2025 Cohort

In addition to the Fellowships, 20 Detroit-based creatives have been selected for the six-month Cohort, a program focused on creative growth and collaboration. Cohort members will benefit from co-working spaces, peer learnings, and a course on creative entrepreneurship while furthering their practice within Detroit’s social and technological landscape.

The 2025 Cohort members are alejandro t. acierto, Nadia Boone, Amanda Brezzell, Gustav Brovold, Mark Calaguas, Allana Clarke, Cyrah Dardas, Patrick Ethen, Samantha Flucht, Laura Foxman, John Gulbronson, Natalie Hicks, Greg Mays, Andrew Morton, Rubini Naidu, Vanessa Reynolds, Gabrielle Soltis, Taeyoon Choi, Francis Vallejo, and John Wolff. Full bios and headshots available to view here.

“Through the Creative Residency, we’re investing in a new model for cultural innovation—one rooted in community, collaboration, and experimentation,” said Lauren Ruffin, Director and Lead Strategist of Michigan Central Art. “We are committed to empowering the next generation of cultural and technological innovators as they develop work that questions, connects, and inspires.”

Through the residency’s tenure, the fellows and cohort will engage the public through open dialogues and workshops, leading up to a final presentation later this year.

The Michigan Central x Newlab Creative Residency builds on the success of the 2024 cohort Simon Anton, Ash Arder, Leith Campbell, Michael Candy, Kristina Sheufelt and Wes Taylor; and Michigan Central Art’s inaugural programming to date, including presentations of Suchi Reddy’s me + you, Iregular’s Solstice, and Carla Diana and Motomishi Nakamura’s MobilityTown, as well as events featuring Ash Arder, Ruha Benjamin, Kevin Beasley, Tadeo Lopez-Sendon, Yinka Danmole, and Xinran Yuan.

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About Michigan Central

Michigan Central is a 30-acre technology and cultural hub in Detroit, where leaders, thinkers, communities, and creators come together to accelerate bold ideas and technologies that shape our collective future. By providing access to world-class infrastructure, tools, and resources, Michigan Central inspires innovators and community members to collaborate on real, ground-breaking solutions to global problems. Since opening in April 2023, Michigan Central has grown into a diverse ecosystem of nearly 250 companies and startups working at the intersection of mobility, technology, and society. Learn more at Michigan Central.

About Newlab

Newlab is a venture platform for critical technology startups transforming core industrial sectors. We help startups commercialize faster by aligning Infrastructure, Projects, and Capital in locations with strategic advantages. Newlab operates 5 innovation hubs globally and manages active pilot programming in additional regions. To date, Newlab has partnered with over 50 industry and government leaders and has supported its 400+ member companies in raising over $5.8B from venture capital firms, with over $2.3B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $20B. Visit www.newlab.com to learn more.