Foundation’s Jones Artist Awards Program provides meaningful opportunity for local creators
Local artists Jean Shon, Kaima Akarue, Kim Le, and Stanley Bermudez will showcase original works in Traces of Being, the third installment of the Houston Endowment Jones Artist Awards Program, today through early 2025. Initially created in 2023, the awards program recognizes and supports local emerging artists and reflects the many stories and perspectives that shape the cultural landscape of Greater Houston’s residents. As Jones Artist Award recipients, artists receive financial support and the opportunity to share their stories with the community by showcasing their work at the Houston Endowment headquarters.
“Traces of Being captures Houston’s uniquely diverse spirit,” said Ann B. Stern, president and CEO of Houston Endowment. “In a way that only art can, the installation helps us to appreciate the rich cultural backgrounds of our fellow residents and to better understand one another.”
In Traces of Being, the four selected artists evoke thoughts about the lasting traces our histories impart and how they inform who we are. The installation brings into question how the past — inherited family relics, memories, and cultural heritage — blends with the present and personal experiences to shape our individual identities. It seeks to answer not only how family relics can shape our identity, but also what the transfer of memories between generations reveals, particularly in Houston where the experience of immigrants is so deeply woven into our cultural fabric.
“The Jones Artist Awards are about more than just the individual artists—it’s about enriching the whole artistic community in Houston,” said Bao-Long Chu, program director for arts and parks at Houston Endowment. “We believe that the program is a part of the wider network of support and resources available to emerging artists in Houston as they seek to grow their talents and careers.” By creating another opportunity for emerging voices to be heard, we’re fostering a culture of creativity and inclusion. It’s like planting seeds that, over time, will bloom into a more vibrant, dynamic arts scene for our region.”
Included in Traces of Being are:
Jean Shon
Ahppa’s Songbook: I Love You More Than I Can Say / Scarborough Fair; 2022; Inkjet print; 24” x 33”
Ahppa’s Songbook: West Virginia / All For the Love of a Girl; 2022; Inkjet print; 24” x 33”
Ahppa’s Songbook: You Mean Everything to Me / Happy Together; 2022; Inkjet print; 24” x 33”
Jean Shon’s series Ahppa’s Songbook presents a charming portrait of the artist’s father through photographs of his handwritten lyrics to popular songs. As a non-native English speaker immersing himself in a new culture, her father made transcription mistakes, which Jean finds endearing and highlights to reflect on the beauty of imperfection and the fluidity of meaning. Each photograph serves to document and preserve her memories while also expressing a child’s affection and admiration for her father, connecting with his experience from decades earlier. Jean Shon is originally from Galveston County and currently lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
Kaima Akarue
From Federal to Hopetown; 2023; Collage; 40” x 30”
A Privileged thrown for my Oyibo Peking; 2023; Collage; 38” x 61’
Get in the waters fine; 2023; Collage; 48” x 58”
Kaima Akarue creates immersive collages from personal photographs. She uses irregular borders and sharp angles to distort and reassemble images into fragmented, dreamlike compositions. Her large-scale works explore her family history, featuring recurring images of her father and depictions of home, both interior and exterior. While deeply personal, Akarue’s work captures the emotional weight of memories, transforming lived experiences into something more elaborate, evocative, or grand — often through the lens of childhood. Her collages remind us how memory reshapes itself, becoming more vivid and complex over time. Kaima Akarue is originally from Houston, where she currently lives and works.
Kim Le aka Komie
Combination Pho; 2023; Ceramics and Wood; 53” x 55’ x 20”
Kim Le created Combination Pho to capture what she describes as her “naive yet prideful” connection to her Vietnamese roots as a second-generation American. Her playful and heavily ornamented ceramic pots intertwine cultural fragments from her Vietnamese background and American pop culture, with the design spilling over into the carved wood table that holds them. The tone is fun and inviting; it’s a kind of seek-and-find of references to consumer goods: Cheetos, egg tarts, rice bags, and more. Kim articulates her experience of Vietnamese identity as “second hand,” stating, “I inherited a love for sour-smelling fish sauce and pungent durian all while immersed in Cartoon Network and blasting Spice Girls. I am Vietnamese but can’t speak it; I eat the food but can’t cook it; I celebrate it but barely know it. Yet I know how to spell Mississippi and [can recall] every single episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.” Kim Le (aka Komie) is originally from Houston, where she currently lives and works.
Stanley Bermudez
Barbershop of Love; 2016; Acrylic on canvas; 84” x 54”
Legado de un Padre; 2024; Acrylic on mixed media on canvas; 36” x 24”
An Inside Joke, 52?; 2024; Acrylic on canvas; 24” x 36”
Stanley Bermudez’s Family of Origin series is a heartfelt tribute to his family. He composes with geometric slices of color without any blending. This style of hard-edge painting is inspired by Venezuelan masters Carlos Cruz Diez and Jesús Rafael Soto as well as Guajiro tapestries. His paintings focus on tender moments between his parents, exemplified in Barbershop of Love, which captures his mother cutting his father’s hair — a cherished ritual from their 64 years of marriage. For this exhibition, Stanley created two smaller works: a portrait of his father using old business cards and IDs as a background, reflecting on his legacy two years after his passing, and a portrait of his parents that highlights their distinct personalities. The poignancy of these portraits is heightened by the recent passing of his mother, who saw these paintings in progress. Stanley Bermudez is originally from Venezuela and currently lives and works in Houston.
The public is encouraged to visit HoustonEndowment.org for more details of the series. Photos of Traces of Being are available here. Please credit Nicki Evans Photo (@nickievansphoto) courtesy of Weingarten Art Group (@weingartenartgroup) and Houston Endowment (@HoustonEndowment). The Jones Artist Awards Program is curated by Weingarten Art Group.
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, Houston Endowment pursues bold goals, builds partnerships, and invests in innovative solutions rooted in equity and evidence to create a vibrant region where all have the opportunity to thrive.