Artadia is pleased to announce the 2020 Houston Artadia Awardees:
The decision followed an extensive jury process, culminating in a virtual studio visit with Jurors Ashely DeHoyos, Curator at Diverseworks, and Rebecca Matalon, Curator at Contemporary Art Museum Houston. The 2020 Houston Artadia Award application was open to visual artists working in any visual media, at any stage in their career, who have been living and working within Harris County for a minimum of two years.
Speaking to the process, Rebecca states, “The five finalists excellently represented Houston’s diverse and intergenerational community of artists. Their varying works and practices reflect the many urgent questions and concerns driving contemporary conversations around art and politics, from ecology and land use, to Black motherhood, and the intersection of consumer culture and gentrification.”
Additionally, Ashley mentions, “I am continuously inspired by Houston artists and the depth of artistic practices across the city. Each of our five finalists offered unique perspectives of how art can be used to generate conversation, share important or forgotten history, reclaim narratives, and create I am in awe of each finalist’s lines of inquiry in contemporary topics and their creativity. It was an honor to visit with each artist and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.”
Portrait of Valentine Jager by Agustín Arce, Portrait of Bria Lauren by Troy Montes
Since its founding in 1999, Artadia has awarded over $5 million in unrestricted funds to almost 350 artists. Celebrating visual artists and the foundational role they play in shaping society, the Artadia Award benefits two artists annually in each of six major US cities with high concentrations of creative workers—Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Beyond the grant, the Award includes lifelong access to a community of fellow artists and patrons. The Artadia Award is designed to provide essential funding and recognition to artists at pivotal points in their careers, strengthen their communities, and spur new levels of career achievement.
The 2020 Houston Artadia Awards are generously supported by John R. Eckel Jr. Foundation, The Brown Foundation, the Houston Endowment, Artadia Board of Directors, and individual donors from across the country.