Message from the Chair
Greetings and welcome Fall! I hope everyone has survived the heat of this Texas summer as we all continue to pray for rain. I am very proud to serve as Chair of the Texas Cultural Trust for the 2011-2013 biennium. As I assume the responsibility, I am excited about the many opportunities and aware of the challenges facing the arts in Texas today. The Texas Cultural Trust is here to be an ally.
This year the Texas Cultural Trust will revise our five-year strategic plan. I am pleased to report that we exceeded all of our strategic goals in the previous plan well ahead of schedule. If you have any recommendations for consideration, please forward them to the Trust staff. We encourage your participation and input.
The Texas Cultural Trust is embarking on a new partnership with the University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts to expand our Arts and Digital Literacy curriculum, linking arts education to digital media, teaching children to communicate in this new age. It is validating to have such an august institution believe and actively participate in our program. Thank you to Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus, and Chairman Jim Pitts for their assistance in making this possible. Special thanks to the AT&T Foundation and the Meadows Foundation for their support as well.
The Texas Commission on the Arts experienced a very challenging legislative session in 2011, receiving a 50 percent funding cut. It is incumbent upon all of us who believe that the arts are important to Texas to speak up on behalf of the Texas Commission on the Arts. They are a vital part of the arts network in Texas and crucial to sustain the success and equity of the arts across the state. As the Trust has quantitatively exhibited through our economic research, the arts are important to the economic sustainability and development of our communities – both urban and rural (See study here). The Texas Commission on the Arts will be under Sunset review this biennium and they will need a strong show of support.
And finally, I would like to thank the Board of Directors of the Texas Cultural Trust and my immediate predecessor, Wayne Fisher, whose leadership has taken the Texas Cultural Trust to a new level. I look forward to working with each of you to advance the arts in Texas.
Sincerely,
Karen R. Oswalt
2011-2013 Board of Directors
Chair — Karen Oswalt, Austin
Vice Chair – Charles W. Matthews, Dallas
Treasurer — Greg Davis, Dallas
Secretary — Judy Robison, El Paso
Immediate Past Chair — Wayne Fisher, Houston
Anita Arnold, Texarkana
Ray Benson, Austin
Kelli Blanton, Houston
Leslie Blanton, Houston
Michelle Brock , Midland
Daniel H. Chapman, Dallas
Patricia Hamilton Dewhurst, Houston
Patsy Donosky, Dallas
George Farish, Brownsville
Linda Gibbons, Dallas
Sandra Gilliland, Amarillo
Anthony Hall, Houston
Carol Haynes, Abilene
Gayle Hunt, El Paso
Gene Jones, Dallas
Milla Perry Jones, Dallas
Kathleen R. Kennedy, San Antonio
Carole Krist, Kemah
Linda La Mantia, Laredo
Dawn Leatherwood, Tyler
Dr. Teresa Lozano Long, Austin
Sharon McCullough, Dallas
Debbie Montford, San Antonio
Jesús Moroles, Rockport
Guillermo Nicolas, San Antonio
Kay Olson, Waco
Laura Street, Amarillo
Stephen Tipps, Houston
Donna Axum Whitworth, Fort Worth
Pam Willeford, Austin
Ann Williams, Dallas
Jocelyn Straus, Chair Emeritus
Texas Medal of Arts Awards, San Antonio
