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DETROIT, MI—Michigan Central Art, in partnership with Newlab Detroit, announced the opening of applications for its 2027 Creative Residency program.

Now in its fourth year, the program supports artists, designers, and other creative practitioners developing work at the intersection of art, technology, and society. In 2027, fellows will be selected to participate in a 12-week, research-based residency. Each fellow will receive a $30,000 unrestricted award to advance their project, along with access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities, project-aligned research opportunities, and mentorship from practitioners across the arts, technology, health, and sciences.

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 fourth year and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, supports practitioners working across themes such as data, accessibility, and sustainability. The Art + Health Fellowship Prize, now in its second year developed in partnership with Henry Ford Health, invites artists to engage with care systems, wellness, and health equity.

Fellows will be embedded across Michigan Central, Newlab Detroit, and Henry Ford Health. They will work alongside entrepreneurs, civic leaders, researchers, clinicians, and fellow creatives, with access to fabrication tools, cross-sector networks, and opportunities to test ideas in a 30+ acre cultural and innovation district.

Throughout the program, fellows will engage with the public through conversations, workshops, presentations, and other forms of community engagement. Their work will contribute to a growing body of practice in Detroit while connecting the city’s creative and innovation communities to broader national and global conversations.

“Creative practice helps us see possibilities that conventional approaches can overlook,” said Kelly Kivland, Curatorial Consultant, Michigan Central Art. “Through this residency, we are creating space for artists to investigate complex questions, build meaningful connections, and contribute to the evolving future of Detroit’s innovation ecosystem.”

“Art offers an essential way to consider health beyond treatment alone—through the environments we inhabit, the relationships we build, and the experiences that shape our sense of well-being,” said Megan Winkel, Lindsay Anderson Curator of Art at Henry Ford Health. “The Art & Health Fellowship creates an opportunity for artists to work alongside communities and care professionals, bringing new perspectives to how we understand and support health.”

“Artists bring a distinct combination of curiosity, experimentation, and critical thinking to emerging technologies,” said Caroline Del Giudice, Art and Product Realization Manager at Newlab. “By placing creative practitioners in conversation with founders, researchers, and industry leaders, this residency helps expand not only what we build, but also the questions we ask before we build it.”

The residency will take place across two sessions: Session One runs February 8 through April 30, 2027, and Session Two runs May 17 through August 6, 2027.

How to Apply

Full details on the 2027 Creative Residency program can be found at https://michigancentral.submittable.com/submit.

Applications are open now through Friday, October 30, 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, October 8th, 2026 from 6:30-8:00pm EST to answer additional questions about the residency.

Selected Fellows will be announced in January 2027.

 

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.  

 

About the Application

The Creative Fellows is a program designed to bridge the gap between artistic inquiry, technological advancement, and entrepreneurial innovation. Developed in partnership across Michigan Central, Newlab, and Henry Ford Health, with funds from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, this residency situates artists at the nexus of Detroit’s innovation district, fostering research, exploration, and impact across disciplines.

Overview

Now in its fourth 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 to five (4-5) 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.

Artists will be selected across two tracks:

  • 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 Simon Anton, Ash Arder, Leith Campbell, Michael Candy, Cyrah Dardas, Maro Kariya, Osman Khan, Nicolás Kisic-Aguirre, Ananda Ray, Salam Rida, Wes Taylor, and Kristina Sheufelt.
  • Track Two: Art & Health is in partnership with Newlab and Henry Ford Health. Artists embedded across wellness, care, and health tech are encouraged to apply to scale and embed their work across the art and health ecosystem in Detroit and beyond. Past Fellows include Sabrina Nelson and Chloe Pascal Crawford.

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

  • Session One: February 8, 2027-April 30, 2027
  • Session Two: May 17, 2027-August 6, 2027

Through storytelling, documentation, and 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.

A complete list of equipment available to use for Fellows on-site at Newlab Detroit is viewable here.

Who We’re Looking For

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts across art, technology, and health. 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. Eligible to receive taxable income via a SSN, ITIN, or EIN.
  2. Applying as a single person/entity—no groups or collaborations accepted.
  3. Above the age of 25.

How to Apply

Applications for the Michigan Central Art Residency are now open. Artists, creatives, researchers, and makers across disciplines and geographies are encouraged to apply to one or both tracks.

In an effort to shorten 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, Email, Address, Phone, Website, Bio and/or link to CV, Social Media Handles
  • Track Selection, Session Preference, Current Resident of Southeast Michigan

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 (150W): how does your project connect to and innovate in our residency track?
  • 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 (5): include up to five additional materials that showcase your past work or support your proposal. These could be photographs, scans, audio, video, or other images. Ideally, some materials would demonstrate past work, and others would show a sketch or rendering the project you plan to realize.
  • 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)

Office Hours

The residency team will host a virtual Open House on Thursday, October 8th, 2026 from 6:30-8:00pm EST to answer additional questions about the residency.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is housing and transit covered by the fellowship? No. 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.
  • What projects are not funded by the fellowship? We are not interested in funding the following types of projects: product lines startups (we encourage you to apply directly to Newlab instead); and medical research (ex. IRB-related projects).
  • What projects are ideal for the fellowship? We recommend researching our past fellows and their work to best understand the types of projects we look to support.
  • Who can apply? Individual artists above the age of 25 that are able to receive taxable U.S. Income are welcome to apply.
  • Can I upload more than five work samples? No. We highly encourage you to select up to five works. Applications that upload more—for example, three PDFs that contain 5 works each, or one 40-page slide deck that shows us more than 5 examples—will likely not be considered for the Fellowship.
  • Why don’t you let groups apply? Newlab’s fabrication lab is a shared resource across 200+ startups on-site. As such, we’ve designed each one of the Fellowships to support one artist. You’re welcome to apply as an individual artist who works with multiple organizations, collectives, and stakeholders; if selected, you will be the primary point of contact who will be given access and trained in the fabrication lab.
  • Is Newlab ADA compliant? Yes; Newlab is fully ADA compliant. If you have a disability and are selected, the team at Newlab will work with you to ensure you are resourced according to your needs.
  • What can I spend my funds on? The choice is yours! For example, you could cover your own artist stipend; pay other artists and collaborators to realize your project; workshops on-site; materials for your project; and more.
  • What will I need before starting? All Fellows will need to show proof of insurance, especially if they plan to use the Fabrication Lab. If you do not live in the Detroit or metro Detroit area, you will additionally need to secure your own housing and transit.
  • Do I get studio space during the residency? No, Fellows will not have a dedicated studio space, but they will have a dedicated desk space with storage in the Newlab Fabrication Shop. The desk is equipped with shelving, and additional storage is onsite dependent on the availability of space.
  • Is there an outdoor space around Newlab for residents or members to test projects that are in development? Monitored testing of works dependent on environmental engagement is allowed. However, materials can not be left unstaffed at any time. The Newlab team will be able to help with these demos once your residency has began. 
  • Am I able to work with others on-site during my Fellowship? As a part of the Fellowship experience, there will be a paid-for fabrication assistant dedicated to help realize Fellows’ artworks. However, they have limited hours dedicated per Fellow. They can work directly with Fellows to gage when best to activate them during your time on-site. Because of this assistant, we do not allow other outside fabricators to help on-site.
  • What degree of completion is expected for the project by the end of the residency in December? There is no requirement for completion of a work by selected fellows. The only requirement is the participation in our public programs. We hope the resources provided within the residency can result in completed works, but we are more interested in cultivating the processes of research and development unique to your practice.  
  • Will fellows have any access to the shop or other Newlab resources after the residency concludes? The residency concludes after your three months’ time on-site, and fellows should not expect access after.

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.