The Houston Endowment has announced the recipients of its Jones Artist Awards for 2026. The program annually chooses Greater Houston area artists through an open call process to participate in group exhibitions at its headquarters, with the stated goal of providing recognition for their work and to “reflect the many stories and perspectives of Greater Houston’s residents.”
Each year since the program’s inception in 2023, a theme has been selected to guide the application and selection process. For 2026, the theme, The Hardest Love We Carry, was inspired by a line in a Jane Hirshfield poem, “Hope and Love.”
An installation view of “The Hardest Love We Carry” at the Houston Endowment
The theme motivated painter Ahra Cho to apply. In a statement shared on the awards program website, Ms. Cho said, “I have always believed that the reason I make work and keep records is ultimately a process of searching for hope scattered throughout our lives like hidden clues.”
She is joined by fellow awardees Keliy Anderson-Staley, Brian Edwards Jr., Jessica Carolina González, Cindee Travis Klement, Virginia Lee Montgomery, Katrina Moorhead, Carole F. Smith, and the artist duo Hillerbrand + Magsamen.
Brian Edwards Jr.
Ann B. Stern, President and CEO of Houston Endowment, said in a press release that the program “reflects Houston Endowment’s belief that individual artists play a vital role not only in helping our region better understand itself, but also driving our economy, supporting healthier and safer neighborhoods, and bringing people together.” She continued, “The 2026 Jones Artists remind us that hope lives in creativity, community, and the courage to imagine what’s possible. By investing in local artists and the stories they carry, we are strengthening Houston’s cultural fabric and supporting a more vibrant, connected region.”
Hillerbrand + Magsamen
The awardees will be showcased in three installations, scheduled through 2026 and into 2027. The Hardest Love We Carry, with work by Ms. Anderson-Staley, Mr. Edwards, Ms. Carolina González, and Hillerbrand+Magsamen, will run through Friday, May 15. Unfolding Hope, a solo installation by Ms. Travis Klement, will run from Friday, May 26, through Friday, September 18, and Earth & Ether, running Tuesday, September 29, through Friday, January 22, 2027, will feature Ms. Cho, Ms. Montgomery, Ms. Moorhead, and Ms. Smith.
The 10 awardees were chosen from among more than 100 applicants to the endowment’s open call, selected in collaboration with the Weingarten Art Group. Since 2023, 37 artists have been selected for Jones Awards, named for Houston Endowment founders Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones, whose interests are reflected in the endowment’s main areas of philanthropic giving: public education, civic engagement, green spaces, and arts and culture.
Disclosure: Glasstire is a grantee of the Houston Endowment.