Artadia, a non-profit grantmaking organization and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons, is thrilled to announce the 2024 Houston Artadia Awardees: Gabriel Martinez, Anna Mayer, and Alexis Pye, the Horton Artadia Award recipient. 

The 2024 Houston Artadia Awards 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. We received 143 applications, with 68% of the applicants identifying as Arab, Asian, biracial or multiracial, Black, Latinx, Native American or Alaskan Native; 55% as women, gender nonconforming, or nonbinary; and 45% as emerging artists. 

The Awards decision was reached after an extensive two-tiered jurying process. This year’s finalists for the Awards included Leslie Hewitt, JR Roykovich, and Kenneth Tam, selected by Round 1 jurors Owen Duffy, Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions, Asia Society Texas; Elena Ketelsen González, Assistant Curator, MoMA PS1; and Savannah Wood, Executive Director, Afro Charities, Inc. 

“It was a privilege reviewing the Houston Artadia submissions with Elena and Owen, and learning about so many thoughtful artists working in the city today,” shared Round 1 juror Savannah Wood. “For the finalist cohort, we ultimately landed on a mix of both emerging and established artists whose practices demonstrate a dedication to their craft and their chosen lines of inquiry.”

All six finalists held virtual studio visits with jurors Owen Duffy joined by Megha Ralapati, Program Director, Fellowships, CEC ArtsLink.

“Serving as a juror for Artadia was a humbling, rewarding, and unbelievably challenging experience. Not only did the experience of jurying reaffirm my belief in the vast pool of talent in Houston, but it introduced me to artists that had yet to be on my curatorial radar; artists that I hope to collaborate with in the years to come,” said local juror Duffy. “I am grateful to Artadia for this opportunity, and to the artists who applied for this year’s Awards.” 

Ralapati, who was part of the second round, shared, “The Houston Awardees demonstrate a deep commitment to working within their multifaceted local ecosystem. I was impressed with their conceptual rigor, creative material choices, and sensitive observation of the social, political and collective concerns of our complex and fraught current moment –all with a keen sense of play and a refreshing originality of spirit. We also feel this award will be both pivotal and transformative to all three Awardees’ practices.” 

Read the full press release or the announcement in Glasstire.