Artadia Announces 2019 Houston Award Finalists

Artadia, a national non-profit organization that supports artists with unrestricted awards, is pleased to announce the five finalists for its 2019 Houston Awards: ​Adriana Corral,​ ​Allison Hunter​, ​Lovie Olivia​, ​Vincent Valdez​, and ​Sarah Welch​. The finalists, who responded to an open call that closed in mid-November, will receive studio visits with second-round jurors, who will ultimately select two artists as awardees to receive $10,000 in unrestricted funds. The finalists were selected by jurors Stephanie Baptist, independent curator and publisher; Rachel Cook (formerly of Houston’s DiverseWorks), Artistic Director of On the Boards in Seattle; and Irene Mei Zhi Shum, a curator at the Menil Collection, Houston.

Of the process, Shum notes: “Artadia is one of only a few national organizations to award direct, unrestricted funds to individual artists, so it was an honor to serve on the Round 1 panel to select this year’s finalists. My fellow jurors and I engaged in a rigorous, methodical review process, and we were unafraid of the ensuing lively debate. From this, we arrived at five finalists, who reflect Houston’s rich diversity and its robust creative community. I truly look forward to Round 2 when I will have the opportunity to meet each artist in person at their studios. While most of my comments have thus far focused on the finalists, I would like to take a moment to thank all the applicants who applied this year, as they are the ones who make Houston a vibrant city. Artists give shape and add edge and dimension to the life of a city, so it is amazing that Artadia recognizes their value. I encourage every artist to apply next year.”

Artadia’s Houston open call invites all visual artists who have lived in Houston for more than two years, working in any media, and at any stage of their career to apply. Finalists are selected through a two-tier jury review process.

For more on the awards and Artadia, please visit its website here.

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Artadia is a national non-profit organization that supports artists with unrestricted Awards followed by a lifetime of program opportunities. Artadia is unique in that it allows any artist to apply, engages nationally recognized artists and curators to review work, and culminates in direct grants. Since 1999, Artadia has awarded over $5 million to more than 330 artists in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

The 2019 Houston Artadia Awards are generously supported by The Brown Foundation, the Houston Endowment, Artadia Houston Council members, and Artadia’s Board of Directors, and individual donors across the country.