Inaugural Annual Meeting for Texas Women for the Arts

Texas Women for the Arts will hold their first annual meeting at the residence of Mrs. Jerry (Gene) Jones on May 11, 2006 in Dallas. The event will be members only, and at that meeting grant applications will be reviewed and the members will select who will receive funding. Special thanks go to Patsy Donosky, Linda Gibbons, and Gene Jones is putting together this exciting event. To date, 78 women have joined and we still aspire to meet our goal of 100 by next month.

Texas Women for the Arts is a giving program uniting the financial forces of Texas women in funding initiatives for the arts and arts education throughout the state. The purpose of this new giving circle is to raise funds and awareness to support the programs administered by the Texas Commission on the Arts and other arts education initiatives. To find out how to join Texas Women for the Arts, please click here.

Sunset Commission Review of the Texas Commission on the Arts

The Texas Commission on the Arts has been going through Sunset process, during which time state agencies are reviewed for effectiveness, need and efficiency every 12 years. The Sunset Commission is made up of Texas legislators and at-large members. In February, the Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report was released stating that due to bill pattern in the previous legislative session, the TCA’s focus was considered to be narrowed to grants only and not administration of programs. This would exclude the TCA’s participation in numerous arts education programs, the Young Masters program and anything that does not constitute granting funds to other organizations. In addition, the Sunset Commission recommended dissolving the Texas Cultural Endowment Fund that was created to support the TCA and currently is worth approximately $15 million.

What’s more, at the public hearing in March Sunset Commission public member Howard Wolf stated very clearly that he disagreed with the continuation of the TCA, and he would lobby his fellow committee members to his point of view. Texas citizens must take the opportunity to let the Sunset Committee know that we want the state government to continue supporting the arts through the TCA. A list of Sunset Committee members, along with contact information, can be found here.

Here you can read a detailed response from Rick Hernandez, Executive Director of the TCA, on this issue. And here is a link to the Sunset Commission’s website where you can find the staff report and the responses and testimony from the public hearing.

Thank you for your support of the arts in Texas!.

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Young Masters 2006 Awards Luncheon is a huge success!

On April 5, 2006, the Driskill Ballroom was filled to capacity as the Texas Cultural Trust and the Texas Commission on the Arts celebrated the new class of Young Masters.  Twenty-seven Texas students in 8th through 12th grades received scholarships of up to $2500 a year for three years to continue study in their chosen artistic discipline.  AT&T generously sponsored the event and Nadine Craddick served as Honorary Chair.  Three former Young Masters came to share their stories with the new inductees: Christopher Vo, 2002 Young Master, modern dance; Caitlin Tully, 2004 Young Master, violin; and Sofya Karash, 2004 Young Master, two-dimensional visual art.  Each of their stories was inspiring and uplifting, proving the importance of the arts in our children’s lives.  For more information about the Young Masters program, please click here.

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The New Blanton Museum of Art Opens April 29 - 30, 2006

Art is the ultimate experience at the new Blanton Museum of Art. Experience the museum's welcoming new building, with its light-filled atrium and expansive galleries, at the southern edge of The University of Texas campus. View the opening exhibitions filled with Old Master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and prints and drawings.

Get a taste of the Blanton's innovative interpretation, inspiring programs, and engaging social events when the doors open and a new cultural era begins in Austin. Housed at last in an architectural space worthy of its remarkable collections, the new Blanton will spring to life with a non-stop week of special events culminating in a 24-hour public grand opening. Details about the Grand Opening events can be found at http://blantonmuseum.org/about/grand_opening.cfm.

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Adventures in the ARTS

Support the Arts.  Support your local PTA.  Teach your kids while having fun with instructional/inspirational activities in the back of the book and on the interactive CD for those “Mommy I’m bored” times.  You can order your copy today at www.adventuresinthearts.com or call (877) 651-8282.  By purchasing books, you contribute to your local PTA when you designate them at checkout to receive 50% of the net proceeds.  Adventures in the ARTS is a unique partnership between the Texas Cultural Trust, the AT&T Foundation, the Texas PTA and Brighter Industries.

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Texas Medal of Arts Awards Update

The process to select the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Awards winners has begun!  Last month the Selection Committee met to narrow the list of nominees to just a few in each category.  From there, the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors and the Artist Committee (previous TMAA recipients) will carefully look through the shortlists and make their recommendations.  http://www.txculturaltrust.org/tmaa/

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Texas Music Industry Directory

The Texas Cultural Trust is very proud to be the exclusive sponsor of the 2006 Texas Music Industry Directory.  The Directory is published annually by the Texas Music Office in the Governor’s Office and has a distribution exceeding 13,000 copies.  To find more information on how to order your own copy, please visit the Texas Music Office’s website.

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