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DETROIT, MI—Michigan Central Art, in partnership with Newlab Detroit, today announced the opening of applications for its 2026 Creative Residency program. Now in its third year, the program supports artists, designers, and other creative practitioners developing work at the intersection of art, technology, and society. New for 2026, the program expands to include Art + Health, a second fellowship focus developed in partnership with Henry Ford Health.

About Creative Residency 

The 2026 program comprises two areas of focus, representing a bold commitment to local and national artists at a time when funding for interdisciplinary practice is narrowing across the field. The Art + Technology Fellowship Prize, now in its third year and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports practitioners working across themes such as data, accessibility, and sustainability. New for 2026, the Art + Health Fellowship Prize, developed in partnership with and supported by Henry Ford Health, invites artists to engage with care systems, wellness, and health equity. 

Together, these two fellowship areas reflect an expanded and timely vision for how creative practice can shape technological innovation, environmental inquiry, and broader social and civic life. The program positions artists as active contributors to the design and understanding of emerging systems, working within real-world innovation, civic, and health contexts.

2026 Fellowship Program

In 2026, four fellows will be selected—two Southeast Michigan residents and two based elsewhere in the United States—each receiving a $30,000 unrestricted award along with access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities, research opportunities, and mentorship. 

Fellows are embedded at Michigan Central and Newlab, working alongside entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and researchers, with access to state-of-the-art fabrication tools, cross-sector networks, and mentorship from leading practitioners across the arts, technology, and sciences. 

Throughout the program, fellows engage with the public through conversations, workshops, and presentations, contributing to a growing body of work that connects Detroit to global conversations across art, technology, and health. The 12-week residency takes place across two sessions: Session One runs July 6 through September 25, 2026, and Session Two runs October 5 through December 22, 2026.

“The residency reflects our belief that artists are essential to how we imagine and build the future,” said Kelly Kivland, Curatorial Consultant, Michigan Central Art. “By embedding artists within this ecosystem, the fellowship creates the conditions for new ideas to emerge, ones that challenge assumptions and connect more deeply to community.”

“The Art & Health track reflects an important shift in how we think about care—recognizing that healing is not only clinical, but also sensory, social, and deeply human,” said Megan Winkel, Lindsay Anderson Curator of Art at Henry Ford Health. “Through this fellowship, we’re supporting artists as researchers and collaborators, helping us explore how creative practice can shape environments, experiences, and systems that improve wellbeing.”

“For over a decade, Newlab has integrated artists into our communities to expand how we think about technology and its impact,” said Caroline Del Giudice, Art and Product Realization Manager at Newlab. “This residency continues that work by ensuring creative practices play a role in shaping the systems and technologies that define our future.”

How to Apply

Full details on the 2026 Creative Residency program can be found at https://michigancentral.submittable.com/submit.

Applications will be open from Monday, April 13, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST through Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Artists, creatives, and designers, based in the United States are encouraged to apply at michigancentral.submittable.com.

The residency team will host a virtual Open House on Thursday, April 30, 2026 from 6:30–8:00 PM EST. 

Selected fellows will be announced in June 2026.

About Michigan Central Art 

Michigan Central Art is the cultural nonprofit of Michigan Central, dedicated to ensuring that art and creative innovation remain central to the district’s growth. Through residencies, public art, and talks, it fosters public engagement across art, design, technology, and society. Learn more at michigancentral.com/michigan-central-art-program/.

 

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.

 

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. 

 

About Henry Ford Health

Serving communities across Michigan and beyond, Henry Ford Health is a premier healthcare services company dedicated to helping people live their best lives. Fifty-thousand team members provide exceptional care and service at more than 550 sites across Michigan – surrounding patients, members and customers with everything they need – from primary, preventative and urgent care, to the most complex and specialty care; health insurance coverage, retail needs including pharmacy and eye care; and a full suite of home health and virtual care services.  

Henry Ford Health is also a leading academic institution, committed to advancing tomorrow’s healthcare through clinical innovation, groundbreaking clinical trials and translational research, and training the next generation of healthcare professionals. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan for more than a century, Henry Ford Health has also remained proudly committed to serving our most vulnerable communities, advancing community health programming, fighting health disparities and championing health equity, and providing more than $780 million annually in uncompensated care and coverage.  

 

Application Overview

Now in its third year, the residency provides an experiential platform for artists, researchers, and makers to explore critical questions, develop transformative projects, and cultivate sustainable practices. Divided into two complementary tracks—Art & Tech and Art & Health—the program will select four (4) exceptional artists for a twelve-week research-based fellowship to explore and develop projects within specific thematic areas.

Each fellow-in-residence will receive:

  1. A $30,000 prize to advance their project.
  2. Access to state-of-the-art fabrication shops at Newlab Detroit and facilities across Michigan Central and/or Henry Ford Health.
  3. Project-aligned research opportunities​.
  4. Participation in a public conversation series​.
  5. External mentors support selection review​ and ongoing guidance.

Two artists will be selected for each track:

  • Track One: Art & Tech is in partnership with Newlab and funded by the Knight Foundation. Fellows-in-residence are often at the edge of technology, data visualization, wearable tech, accessibility, and sustainability. Past Fellows-in-Residence include Ash Arder, Nicolás Kisic-Aguirre, Wes Taylor, Ananda Ray, Simon Anton, Salam Rida, Leith Campbell, Michael Candy, and Kristina Sheufelt.
  • Track Two: Art & Health is new for 2026, in partnership with Newlab and Henry Ford Health. Artists embedded across wellness, care, and health tech are encouraged to apply to expand and scale their work. The residency offers a replicable model for sustained cultural institution and health system partnerships.

Two Sessions will frame selected Fellows’ time on-site in Detroit:

  • Session One (Fellows 1 and 2): July 6, 2026-September 25, 2026
  • Session Two (Fellows 3 and 4): October 5, 2026-December 25, 2026

Through storytelling, documentation, community engagement, learnings will be shared across public programming, exhibitions, and international networks across Michigan Central, Henry Ford Health, and Newlab, and the Knight Foundation.

Housing and transit are not offered as a part of this residency. Selected Fellows-in-Residence will need to source their own housing and transit while on-site.

Who We’re Looking For

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts in art, technology, and entrepreneurship. We will select two  Southeast Michigan-based artists and two artist based elsewhere in the United States. Selection criteria include:

  1. Clarity and originality of the project idea.
  2. Alignment with residency focus areas and themes.
  3. Feasibility of the project within the 12-week residency.
  4. Potential for impact and innovation.

Eligibility requirements include:

  1. Based in the United States.
  2. Eligible to receive taxable income via a SSN, ITIN, or EIN.
  3. Applying as a single person/entity—no groups or collaborations accepted.
  4. Above the age of 25.

How to Apply

Applications for the Michigan Central Art Residency are now open. Researchers, artists, and makers across the United States are encouraged to apply to one or both tracks.

In an effort to reduce an applicant’s time submitting, we have reduced the number of questions and words required from previous years. We encourage applicants to:

  1. Spend no more than five hours total on their application: one hour to draft, two hours to edit/receive feedback from colleagues, an hour to select sample work, and an hour to submit their final application.
  2. Draft answers in a separate document, such as Google Docs or Word, in case of accidental deletion or if their computer or internet dies unexpectedly.
  3. Write to our team (daniel.sharp@michigancentral.com) if any accessibility needs arise.

Section One: Info

  • Full Name, Professional/Chosen Name, Pronouns, Email, Address, Phone, Website, Bio and/or link to CV, Social Media Handles
  • Track Selection, Session Preference, Southeast Michigan Resident

Section Two: Questions

  • Project Title (10 W)
  • One Sentence Description (30 W)
  • Two Paragraph Description (300 W): explain your project in your own words. What are its goals? How do you envision engaging with community during this residency? And what are your expected outcomes while on-site?
  • One Paragraph Focus Area (150 W): how does your project connect to and innovate in one (or both) of this year’s tracks: art & tech / art & health?
  • One Paragraph Needs (150 W): what equipment and technical assistance will you need during this residency? What has your past experience been in executing similar projects?
  • One Paragraph Budget (200 W): Provide a high-level bulleted breakdown of how you intend to allocate the $30,000 award, including stipends, materials, programs, community engagement, etc.

Section Three: Samples

  • Materials (4): Include up to four additional materials that showcase your past work or support your proposal. Examples include: images, sketches, videos, and audio files of past projects or proposed project.
  • Credit Lines (400 W): For each of your samples, write the credit line, including the work’s title, medium, dimensions, and year. If applicable, include if it was shown anywhere, the names of collaborators, and a photographer’s credit.

Section Four: Confirmations

  • If selected and accepted, you’ll confirm you can be on-site for the duration of your Session.
  • If you used AI during your application, how did you use it? (50 W)
  • Confirm you meet the eligibility requirements.

Office Hours

The residency team will host a virtual Open House on April 30th, 2026 from 6:30-8pm to answer additional questions about the residency.

To join, head here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/2808166015446?p=sD0zhNePTtgnEsFnc2

  • Meeting ID: 280 816 601 544 6
  • Passcode: Z6eU3id2

Or dial in by phone: +1  313-466-2972,,274845687# | Find  a local number | Phone conference ID: 274 845 687#

If You Need Help

The application is available online at https://michigancentral.submittable.com. You will need to set up a free account and login information.

If you have questions regarding Submittable, head here: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/.

If you have questions that can’t be answered via Submittable, reach out to Daniel Sharp at daniel.sharp@michigancentral.com.

AI Policy

Applicants may use AI tools for limited support (e.g., brainstorming or editing for clarity). However, final responses must be written by the applicant and reflect the applicant’s original ideas and voice. AI should not be used to generate an application in full (including the core project concept) or to produce complete responses. Submissions that appear substantially AI-generated, or that do not demonstrate authentic engagement with the prompts, may be subject to additional review. Applicants will be required to disclose AI use in the application form.