Thursday, June 11th, 2020
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Bloomfield Hills, Mich., June 11, 2020 -– Cranbrook Academy of Art is pleased to announce the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Emerging Artist Award Finalists. This is the fifteenth year that Mercedes-Benz Financial Services has honored our graduating students, and this year they are celebrating the achievements of 10 Academy students, one from each department (with the exception of 4D Design, which is currently made up of first-year students).
The award recipients are:
Ben Cook (Architecture)
Madelaine Corbin (Fiber)
Caroline Del Guidice (Sculpture)
Brett Evans (Ceramics)
Laura Gibson (Photography)
Kaysi Grimes (Print Media)
Britt Gudas (2D Design)
Naama Levit (Metalsmithing)
Cody Norman (3D Design)
Natalie Wadlington (Painting)
The Emerging Artist Awards are part of Cranbrook’s almost 20-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC, which also includes premier sponsorship of Cranbrook’s STUDIO event, as well as the 2020 Graduate Degree Exhibition of Cranbrook Academy of Art which has been transitioned to an online exhibition that can be viewed here. Each award finalist will receive a $1,000 cash award to be used to support their individual practice. The finalists were selected by their Artists-in-Residence based on the criteria established by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, including passion, respect, integrity, and discipline.
“Even with our current economic climate, the continued support that Mercedes-Benz Financial Services has shown our Cranbrook students highlights the extraordinary value they place on the arts in our community,” says Susan R. Ewing, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art. “We thank them for providing our students with a lifeline to continue their work at a time when they need it more than ever before.”
The company supports the Academy and other institutions throughout the country through their Experiencing Perspectives art program, which encompasses annual art exhibitions, tours, community conversations, and other events. It includes a year-long exhibition and display of student and recent graduate art pieces throughout its headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and its business center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be an Academy student sent to Berlin for a residency this year, as has been the tradition in years past.
“At Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, we truly value the influence that the arts have within our communities and our workplace,” said Peter Henn, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC. “Now, more than ever, creative minds have the potential to inspire positive change in the world. For that reason, I am delighted to congratulate this year’s Emerging Artist finalists, and applaud all of the 2020 graduating students for their artistic accomplishments.”
To view the work of the entire 2020 graduating class, please visit exhibition.cranbrook.edu.
Media Contacts:
Julie Fracker
Director of Communications
Cranbrook Academy of Art
248.645.3329
jfracker@cranbrook.edu
Humza Ahmad
Manager, Corporate Communications
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC
248.464.7168
humza.ahmad@daimler.com
Monday, February 22nd, 2016
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We all know the term “return on investment.” It tells us whether an investment has been profitable. But what about the promotion of art and culture? Can we measure the “return on installation” in euros and cents – or in a very different kind of currency?
Monday, December 14th, 2015
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DETROIT — A slender, fashionable, young woman sporting a pixie haircut stands next to five marionettes, cut from tar paper in silhouette style, hanging on a wall at the suburban Detroit offices of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
The woman is artist Ivy Johnson. She’s there to discuss her stringed creations with the captive finance company’s employees. “Most want to know: What was my inspiration?” Johnson says. (Hint: She calls the grouping Imaginary Friends.)
Monday, December 14th, 2015
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Staff at Mercedes Benz Financial Services (MBFS) in Mississauga took part in a unique digital painting workshop in November. OCAD University faculty member Veronika Szkudlarek, accompanied by student Dahae Song, visited MBFS offices for an exploration of the fundamentals of Digital Painting and Expanded Animation (DXPA).
Wednesday, November 4th, 2015
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Trinity Spadina MPP Han Dong rose in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to recognize OCAD University’s contribution to the cultural community following the opening of the exhibition Experiencing Perspectives at Mercedes Benz Financial Services.
Friday, October 23rd, 2015
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Ninety-nine works by 74 OCAD University students, alumni and faculty were unveiled October 21 in the Mississauga offices of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS). At the opening of the Experiencing Perspectives exhibition, President and CEO Stefan Karrenbauer thanked the artists for bringing creativity and art appreciation to the workplace.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
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Emerging Artist explores unexpected contrast between concept and materials
Partnering with local art institutions allows Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in the U.S. and Canada to create partnerships that inspire diversity of thought and new ways of thinking. In addition to the exhibitions that display the artists’ work, each year one student from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is awarded the opportunity to work in Berlin, Germany for two months.
The goal is to support emerging artists through more than just financial donations. By providing artists with an entire experience, the company promotes diversity and a global perspective on artwork.
Monday, August 25th, 2014
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On the eve of its 2014 commencement ceremonies, Cranbrook Academy of Art celebrated another year of outstanding work by its faculty and graduate students at its annual Academy Awards Night on May 8.
Before a gathering of more than 200 students, families, friends and donors in deSalle auditorium at Cranbrook Art Museum, the Academy conferred more than $100,000 in fellowships, grants, awards and scholarships, including nine distinguished awards for artistic excellence. The awards are designed to support study at the Academy and to aid 2014 graduates in the transition from student to practicing artist.
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