ALH Announces Top 2024 Honors

Beili Liu (left photo: Philip Rogers), Kathy Vargas (center photo: Cameron Brennan), Michelle Swain Barnes (right photo: April M. Frazier).

(May 28, 2024) Since 1983, Art League Houston (ALH) has been a leader in celebrating contemporary art in Texas through its annual awards. This year, ALH proudly unveils the selection of three remarkable women as the 2024 honorees: Beili Liu as the 2024 Texas Artist of the Year, Kathy Vargas as the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts, and Michelle Swain Barnes as the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts Leadership.

"In celebrating the achievements of Beili Liu, Kathy Vargas, and Michelle Barnes, we honor not just their individual impact, but also their collective contributions to the rich tapestry of the Texas art scene,” says Jennie Ash, ALH Executive Director. “Their unwavering dedication, bold vision, and tireless advocacy serve as beacons of inspiration, guiding us towards a future where creativity thrives and artistic expression knows no bounds. As we proudly shine a spotlight on these extraordinary individuals, we reaffirm Art League Houston's commitment to nurturing and championing the diverse voices that shape our cultural landscape."

Zhaira Costiniano, ALH Curator & Exhibition Manager states “It is an immense privilege and honor to celebrate Beili Liu as the 2024 Texas Artist of the Year and Kathy Vargas as our 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts honoree.

Beili Liu’s application of ordinary materials creates space for reflection and dialogue on pressing issues including labor, environmentalism, migration, and cultural complexities. Her inspirational artistic practice, marked by prestigious awards including the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Pollock Prize for Creativity from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Fulbright Arctic Chair as part of the Fulbright U.S. Distinguished Scholar Awards, has undeniably brightened the Texas art scene.

Kathy Vargas boasts a multifaceted career as an artist, director, curator, educator, and mentor. Her artistic influence extends beyond San Antonio, with acclaimed retrospectives and inclusion in groundbreaking exhibitions like "Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation." From leading the Visual Arts department at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center from 1985-2000 to chairing the University of the Incarnate Word's art department where she is currently a professor, Vargas' unwavering dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices has solidified her place as a leading figure in the art world.”

"Michelle Barnes stands as a true pillar of inspiration, seamlessly intertwining her profound dedication to art with a steadfast commitment to community and inclusivity,” adds Jennie Ash, ALH Executive Director. “As an artist, educator, mentor, and the executive director and co-founder of the Community Artists’ Collective, she epitomizes transformative leadership. Michelle ardently advocates for accessibility to the arts and fosters a platform for artists to instigate change within our community. Through her unwavering dedication, she has cultivated a more vibrant, diverse, and engaged arts community in Houston, positively impacting numerous artists and community members."

An anonymous committee of distinguished artists and arts professionals from across Texas selects the ALH Annual Award honorees.

ALH will present solo exhibitions celebrating the work of Beili Liu and Kathy Vargas from September 13 to November 30, 2024, and will collaborate with each artist to publish a limited-edition monograph. The awardees will be celebrated at ALH’s annual gala, which will be held in their honor on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Thompson Houston, located on Allen Parkway opposite Eleanor Tinsley Park. For more information about sponsorship and tickets, visit 2024 Gala — Art League Houston or contact Jennie Ash at jennie@artleaguehouston.org or 713-523-9530 Ext 7.

2024 Texas Artist of the Year

Beili Liu

Beili Liu is a visual artist who makes large-scale, site-responsive installations that address themes of migration, cultural memory, materiality, and labor. Liu was born in 1974 in a rural village in northeast China near Siberia to parents who were among the 16 million “sent-down youth” during China’s Cultural Revolution. Liu grew up during a time of complex social transformations at the dawn of China’s “Social Market Economy” era and lived through political upheavals denoted by the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. These formative years have shaped Liu’s approach to her subject matter and process throughout her artistic career. Liu immigrated to the United States at the age of 21. Navigating two cultural systems first as a youth in post-Mao China, then as an immigrant, and later a female artist in the U.S., Liu’s personal journey from village to city, from the East to the West instilled in her an ongoing desire to explore the lived experiences of those who navigate on the margin. Topics of diaspora, assimilation, and the fundamental question of otherness versus belonging are at the core of Liu’s work.

Liu's current research focuses on the complex ecological, political, and environmental concerns facing the Circumpolar North and the urgency of the climate crisis on a planetary scale. Liu states, "I am called to visit the Arctic, a place that embodies the sorrows and hopes of our shared planet." Working with commonplace materials and elements such as thread, needle, scissors, feather, salt, wax, and cement, Liu manipulates their intrinsic qualities to extrapolate complex cultural and environmental narratives.

Beili Liu, *A Line Drawn for the Glacier, Antigua.* Silk, Arctic wind, tall Arctic ship Antigua, Svalbard Archipelago, High Arctic Norway. Photo credit: Elizabeth Bourne.

Liu has received numerous grants and awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2022-2024); the Pollock Prize for Creativity (2022); the Fulbright Arctic Chair, a Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Award (Norway, 2021-2022); the Fulbright Finland Inter-Country Grant (2022); the Brian Wall Grant for Sculptors (2022); NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship (2021-2024); Bessie Honoree for Outstanding Visual Design (2020), for Liu’s stage installation at the Lincoln Center, NYC, a New York Times Critic’s Pick (2019); Texas State Artist (3D), designated by the Texas Legislature and the Texas Commission on the Arts (2018); Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant (2016), National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Grant, in support of Liu’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Southeast Texas (2014); Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artistic Innovation and Collaboration Grant through Women & Their Work Gallery (lead visual artist, 2013); and Distinction Award at the Kaunas Biennial, Lithuania (2011). Liu’s public art project, Sky Bridge, was named Best Public Art Installation by KQED San Francisco (2015).

Beili Liu. Detailed view of *Each and Every,* 2019. Children’s clothing, cement, cotton thread, table, chair, scissors, and needles. Installation with performance. Image courtesy of Beili Liu Studio.

She received a San Francisco Mayor’s Award (2008) for her contribution to cultural exchange. Liu participated in artist residencies at the Joan Mitchell Center (2019), Studios at MASS MoCA (2019), Facebook Headquarters AIR (2018), Roman Witt Visiting Artist Residency, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2015), Fundación Valparaíso, Spain (2009), Fiskars International Artist Residency, Finland (2007), Djerassi Foundation, Woodside, CA (2006), and Art Farm, NE (2004).

Liu has received numerous grants and awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2022-2024); the Pollock Prize for Creativity (2022); the Fulbright Arctic Chair, a Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Award (Norway, 2021-2022); the Fulbright Finland Inter-Country Grant (2022); the Brian Wall Grant for Sculptors (2022); NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship (2021-2024); Bessie Honoree for Outstanding Visual Design (2020), for Liu’s stage installation at the Lincoln Center, NYC, a New York Times Critic’s Pick (2019); Texas State Artist (3D), designated by the Texas Legislature and the Texas Commission on the Arts (2018); Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant (2016), National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Grant, in support of Liu’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Southeast Texas (2014); Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artistic Innovation and Collaboration Grant through Women & Their Work Gallery (lead visual artist, 2013); and Distinction Award at the Kaunas Biennial, Lithuania (2011). Liu’s public art project, Sky Bridge, was named Best Public Art Installation by KQED San Francisco (2015). She received a San Francisco Mayor’s Award (2008) for her contribution to cultural exchange. Liu participated in artist residencies at the Joan Mitchell Center (2019), Studios at MASS MoCA (2019), Facebook Headquarters AIR (2018), Roman Witt Visiting Artist Residency, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2015), Fundación Valparaíso, Spain (2009), Fiskars International Artist Residency, Finland (2007), Djerassi Foundation, Woodside, CA (2006), and Art Farm, NE (2004).

Beili Liu, *Breathing Water.* Installation, Hå Gamle Prestegard, Norway, as part of the Dreams of the High North exhibition. Ocean plastics (collected from the shorelines of the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico,) thread, mixed media, hardware, dimensions variable, 2023.
Image courtesy of Beili Liu Studio.

Liu exhibits nationally and internationally in locations including Norway, Finland, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, China, Poland, Taiwan and across the United States, with solo exhibitions at venues including Hå gamle prestegard, Norwegian National Art and Culture Museum, Galerie An Der Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich, Germany, Museo di Villa Bernasconi, Como, Italy, Elisabeth de Brabant Art Center, Shanghai, China, Chinese Culture Foundation, San Francisco, CA, the Crow Museum of Asian Art, Dallas, TX, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX, and Women & Their Work, Austin, TX. Liu has presented in group exhibitions at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., New Orleans Art Museum, LA, Grand Rapids Museum of Art, MI, Contemporary Museum Austin, TX, Asian Art Week, NYC, Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, TX, Artpace, San Antonio, TX, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, CA, and internationally at the Hamburg Art Week, Germany, M.K. Ciurlionis National Art Museum, Kaunas, Lithuania, Zhejiang Museum of Art, China, Musée de la Dentelle in Caudry, Montrouge, France, Asian Art Week, London, UK, and Bunkier Sztuki Gallery, Kraków, Poland, among many others. Liu has created public artworks in Beijing, Jilin, and Shanghai, China, Bremerhaven, Germany, Taiwan, San Francisco, CA, and Dallas and Austin, TX.

Liu’s work has been featured by PBS Arts in Context series, Sculpture Magazine, Art in America, The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Art Newspaper, Climate Progress, Public Art Review, Sacchi Review, UK, Helsinki Sanomat News, Finland, China Daily, Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, and Vita (Life) Magazine, Italy, among others.

Liu received her M.F.A. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2003, supported by a prestigious Barbour Scholarship awarded to “women of the highest academic and professional caliber” who immigrated from Asian countries. Liu studied Chinese Literature and Communication at Shenzhen University, China (1992-1994), before enrolling in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she received a B.A. with Magna Cum Laude in 2001. Liu is the Leslie Waggener Endowed Professor in the College of Fine Arts, and an Institute for the Humanities Fellow (2021-2023) at the University of Texas at Austin. Liu has served on the National Endowment for the Arts Museum Panel (2019). Liu’s teaching has been endorsed by a UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (2011), selected across nine institutions of the University of Texas System.

Born in Jilin, China, Beili Liu now lives and works in Austin, Texas.

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts

Kathy Vargas

Kathy Vargas was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and began photographing in 1971 under the guidance of rock and roll photographer Tom Wright. She attended San Antonio College in the mid-1970s and was mentored by painter Mel Casas, who invited her to join the Chicano art group Consafo. She received her MFA degree with a concentration in Photography from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1984. From 1985 – 2000, she worked as the Visual Arts Program Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio. From 2000 to 2013, she served as Chair of Art at the University of the Incarnate Word, where she is currently a Professor of Art/Photography.

Like most beginning photographers, Vargas’s first photographs were of the world closest to her. She lived (and continues to) on the East Side of San Antonio in a neighborhood that is urban and predominantly Black and Latino as well as economically distressed. So that was what she photographed; she did not go looking for the subject matter, but rather it was what was familiar and comfortable. She knew a lot of her subjects and would usually give them copies of the pictures she took of them. They were patient with her and did not mind that she took a long time to focus. So she did several series in that area: people on their front porches or in front of the homes they owned – a definite source of pride; people in the Projects, low-rent housing for single-parent families or other people having financial problems; the murals in the Projects (these mostly on the West Side of San Antonio, a predominantly Latino area; street scenes, more personal portraits, etc.

Around 1980, her work began to change for several reasons: she felt she needed to say some things that were more personal than documentation allowed; doing the photos of people over and over had become too easy for her, not challenging enough or introspective enough, and she felt that she was photographing these people but not doing anything positive to change their lives for the better; when she left after taking her pictures noting had improved. So, while she still enjoys seeing and periodically doing documentary photography, for her, the personal statement became more important.

Kathy Vargas, from the *Innocent Age* series. Image courtesy of Kathy Vargas.

Partly because of her culture, partly because she is of the era that had the Vietnam war thrust in their teen years, and partly because her grandmother exposed her to the presence of death at a very young age, she has always been preoccupied with death – its finality and the impossibility of understanding it completely until we can no longer communicate what we have learned. So, a lot of her later work deals with the theme of death. “Details of Passage” is a series of cemetery mementos: headstones and flowers that deal with remembering the beloved but also forgetting, the passage of time that eases pain and also alters remembrance, etc. The Boxed Appels series also deals with that passage of time, with erosion and decay. Much of the later work is more hopeful because it deals not only with the fact of death but with the idea of transformation and eternity through eulogy and remembrance. These and later photographs also deal with the ability of photography to refer to the real world and, at the same time, create an illusion that becomes more important than reality. The double exposures play with that theme; things merge into each other, exchange identities, share features, and cross over between fantasy and reality – life and death.

Kathy Vargas, *Missing #3, 1992*. Six hand-colored gelatin silver prints, sheet, and image: 24 x 20 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Image courtesy of Kathy Vargas.

She has had one-person exhibits at Sala Uno in Rome, Galeria Juan Martin in Mexico City, Centro Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Artpace in San Antonio, Texas, and University of Houston Downtown, Houston, TX, and retrospectives at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas and Universitat Erlangen in Germany. Group shows include "Hospice: A Photographic Inquiry? a national traveling exhibit commissioned by the Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C.; "Transacciones, IX Bienal Internacional de Fotografia, Canary Islands; "Foto Fest Presents" at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia; "Regards Croises" at Galerie Prevert, Provence, France; "Aztlan Hoy" at Canal de Isabel II, Madrid, Spain; and "Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (CARA)" UCLA, California, USA. She received a Lightwork residency in 1993 and the Art Pace San Antonio Residency and the Art Pace London Residency in 1996-97. She was named the 2005 Texas Two-Dimensional Artist of the Year by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

From the *Shopping for Bargains* series. Image courtesy of Kathy Vargas.

In addition to curating numerous shows during her tenure at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, her independent curatorial projects include "American Voices: Photography by Latinos in the United States" for FotoFest 1994 (co-curated with Robert Buitron, Charles Biasiny Rivera and Ricardo Viera); "Narrative Constructs: Contemporary Trends by Women Artists of Color" and "Intimate Lives," both for Women and Their Work in Austin, Texas; "Influence" a series of three exhibits of work by Latino artists for the San Antonio Museum of Art (co-curated with Jim Edwards); "Figurative Works on Paper, the Joe Diaz Collection" for Blue Star Art Space, San Antonio; and Neil Maurer, Four Decades of Photography " for REM Gallery, San Antonio (co-curated with Larry Leissner).

From 1993 to 2000, she was a board member of Art Matters, a New York based foundation which funded grants to individual artists. From 2003 to 2009, she was a member of San Antonio’s Public Art Commission. She was also on the City of San Antonio’s Centro de Artes Committee from 2017-2023. As of 2016, her papers have been housed in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

Recent non-art activities include writing lyrics for two CDs, “Incantation” released in 2014 and “Surrealist” released in 2017 by former Blue Oyster Cult band member, Albert Bouchard.

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts Leadership

Michelle Swain Barnes

Art League Houston is proud to announce Michelle Swain Barnes as the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts Leadership. This prestigious award recognizes Michelle's extraordinary contributions to the arts community, her commitment to fostering inclusivity, and her transformative leadership.

Michelle Swain Barnes is a visionary artist, educator, mentor, and community leader whose impact on the arts landscape of Houston is profound and far-reaching. With a career spanning decades, Michelle has dedicated herself to creating opportunities for artists and advocating for the power of the arts to effect social change.

Born in Austin and raised in Houston, Michelle developed a deep appreciation for the arts from an early age. She attended the University of Houston, She attended the University of Houston where she earned a Bachelor of Science with a focus on education. It was during her time at university that Michelle's passion for both creating and promoting art began to blossom.

The Collective, 1989, artists at Trinity Church 16. Image courtesy of CAC Archive.

After completing her studies, Michelle embarked on a journey to bridge the gap between the arts and the community. In 1984 the idea of the Community Artists’ Collective gelled and by 1987 she formally co-founded the organization as a not-for-profit dedicated to providing accessible arts education and programming to underserved communities in Houston. Under Michelle's leadership as executive director, the Collective has become a beacon of creativity and empowerment, offering a wide range of workshops, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

Michelle's impact extends beyond the walls of the Community Artists' Collective. As a practicing artist herself, Michelle's work explores themes of identity, heritage, and social justice. Her mixed-media artworks have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout Houston and beyond, earning her acclaim for both her artistic vision and her commitment to advocacy.

Michelle Swain Barnes installing a mosaic at The Collective, 1501 Elgin St., 1991. Image courtesy of CAC Archive.

In addition to her role at the Community Artists' Collective, Michelle has served as an educator and mentor to countless aspiring artists. Through her teaching and mentorship, she has inspired generations of students to embrace their creative potential and use art as a tool for personal expression and social change. Michelle's dedication to nurturing emerging talent has helped to shape the next generation of artists and leaders in the Houston arts community.

Throughout her career, Michelle has been a tireless advocate for equity and inclusivity in the arts. She has worked tirelessly to break down barriers to access and create spaces where artists from all backgrounds feel welcome and valued. Her commitment to diversity and representation has helped to amplify marginalized voices and ensure that the arts reflect the richness and diversity of the communities they serve.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the arts, Michelle has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Mayor's Arts Award for Individual Artist and the Houston Press MasterMind Award. However, it is her unwavering dedication to her community and her passion for using art as a force for good that truly sets Michelle apart.

As the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts Leadership, Michelle Swain Barnes joins a prestigious group of individuals who have made lasting contributions to the arts landscape of Houston. Art League Houston is honored to celebrate Michelle's legacy and to recognize her as a true trailblazer in the field of arts leadership.

ALH Contemporary Texas Archive

Our Contemporary Texas Archive program is a cornerstone of ALH's commitment to highlighting and preserving often-overlooked aspects of contemporary Texas art history. This program platforms artists who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and achievement, significantly impacting contemporary visual art in Texas. Through exhibitions, documentary video interviews, and publications, we archive the rich and diverse histories of these artists.

Texas Artist of the Year

In 1983, ALH established the Texas Artist of the Year as a dynamic project documenting Contemporary Texas art history. This initiative recognizes artists who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and outstanding achievement and whose work has had a significant and positive impact on contemporary visual art in Texas. Those who have been recognized have already produced a significant body of work and stand apart as leading figures and visionary talents within the field of contemporary art in Texas. Artists are nominated by a panel of distinguished jurors from across Texas. Jurors determine the award winner and remain anonymous. Since the inauguration of this program, forty outstanding artists have received the distinction of Texas Artist of the Year.

Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts

In 2013, ALH marked its 65th anniversary as an arts organization and the 30th anniversary of its Texas Artist of the Year award. To commemorate this milestone, Art League Houston established the Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts which honors artists whose careers have spanned over forty years and who have made outstanding contributions to the world of visual art in Texas and beyond.

Lifetime Achievement in Arts Leadership

In 2019, ALH transformed the Lifetime Achievement into an honor recognizing visionary and artistic leaders who have made significant contributions to contemporary visual art in Texas for over forty years. This initiative celebrates individuals who have consistently championed and supported the visual arts, distinguishing themselves as leading figures and visionary talents in arts leadership.

Texas Patron of the Year

In 1989, ALH introduced the Texas Patron of the Year to honor extraordinary individuals who have significantly advanced the work of Texas artists. This award acknowledges the essential role of patrons who have demonstrated remarkable support and commitment to the arts. Through innovative initiatives, community involvement, or sustained backing of artistic activities, these patrons have made a significant and positive impact on contemporary visual art in Texas.