Cranbrook Academy of Art Announces the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Emerging Artist Award Finalists

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