Local Artists Recognized in Exhibitions Reflective of Diverse Houston Stories
Houston Endowment honors nine Houston artists with a 2024 Jones Artist Award
Nine Houston-based artists have been selected as 2024 recipients of the Jones Artist Award, a program created by Houston Endowment to recognize emerging artists and reflect the diverse stories of Greater Houston’s residents. As Jones Artist Award recipients, Krista Leigh Steinke, Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee, Venessa Monokian, Christopher Blay, Guadalupe Hernandez, Kim Le, Kaima Akarue, Jean Shon, and Stanley Bermudez will receive support and the opportunity to exhibit their work on a rotating basis in Houston Endowment’s headquarters.
“We believe art is a vital component of a vibrant community. It enables us to share experiences and deepens our understanding of one another,” said Ann B. Stern, president and CEO of Houston Endowment. “The nine artists selected to receive a Jones Artist Award capture this spirit, and we are honored to recognize them. Their stories are compelling, their work is moving, and their perspectives are expressive of the vast diversity of Greater Houston.”
Following the successful completion of the program’s inaugural year in 2023, Houston Endowment, in collaboration with Weingarten Art Group, again invited local artists to submit artwork for the 2024 program. This year, artists were asked to work with themes of time and memory, particularly as it related to Greater Houston’s histories, cultures, current events, infrastructure, technology, or natural environment. Of the nearly 100 submissions received, nine were selected and will be showcased in the following three exhibitions:
Nature’s Imprints
April 9 – July 8, 2024
Featuring: Krista Leigh Steinke, Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee, Venessa Monokian, and Christopher Blay
This exhibition reflects a collective ecological consciousness about how intertwined we are with our environment.
Con Cariño – Solo Exhibition
July 16 – October 14, 2024
Featuring: Guadalupe Hernandez
Con Cariño translates to “with love” or “with care,” and is an homage to his parents, who abandoned their homeland in search of a brighter future for their family.
Traces of Being
October 22, 2024 – January 20, 2025
Featuring: Kim Le, Kaima Akarue, Jean Shon, Stanley Bermudez
The exhibition chronicles how traces of us morph as time passes. It’s a reflection on time and memory through the lens of family and lineage, with artists re-examining “hand-me-downs” as a vehicle for self-discovery.
The public is encouraged to visit www.HoustonEndowment.org for more details of the included works. Photos of Nature’s Imprints are available here. Please credit Nicki Evans Photo (@nickievansphoto) courtesy of Weingarten Art Group (@weingartenartgroup) and Houston Endowment (@HoustonEndowment).
Houston Endowment has a long-standing commitment to the arts, beginning with its founding by Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones in 1937. The Joneses recognized the significant value arts and culture provided to the community and envisioned the world-class arts that exist in Houston today. Today, the Foundation takes a comprehensive approach and seeks to identify opportunities to support creators and creative organizations.
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Houston Endowment is a private foundation established in 1937 by Jesse H. Jones and his wife, Mary Gibbs Jones, to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greater Houston. Today, it has more than $2 billion in assets and invests about $100 million a year in three priorities: strengthen public education, increase civic engagement, and enhance the region’s arts and parks. Working with fellow Houstonians, the foundation pursues bold goals, builds partnerships, and invests in innovative solutions to create meaningful change and expand opportunity for all.