October 2006 Newsletter

A Message from the Chair

I am so pleased and honored to announce that we have added nine new members to our Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors. We welcome these outstanding Texans to our board.

Each of these new members will bring specific expertise to the work of our board in service to the arts and arts education in our state. Our quarterly board meeting in Austin in December will feature a special long-range planning meeting facilitated by Curtis Meadows of the Meadows Foundation in Dallas.

Our Texas Women for the Arts giving circle, which began in September 2005, continues to grow with over 107 members from throughout the state. In our second year, our goal is to double our membership. If you know someone who would be interested in joining, please contact our office with the name, and we will provide the information to her. Our next annual meeting and grant making will be held in May in Houston.

Finally, our board has been working hard on the exciting Texas Medal of the Arts scheduled for April 2-3, 2007 in Austin. Mark the date and plan to come to this exciting two-day event. If you are interested in sponsorship information, please contact Amy Barbee at the office for details.

As year-end approaches, please remember the good work that we do in providing financial support to the arts and arts education in the state of Texas. A gift of any kind is greatly appreciated and is fully tax-deductible.

Sincerely yours,

Donna Axum Whitworth
Chair

Welcome New Board Members!
Strengthening the Texas Cultural Trust’s reach across the state, we are pleased to announce the acceptance of the following new members to our Board of Directors:

HAL BRIERLEY (Dallas) - Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of e-Rewards, Hal Brierley joins the TCTC board with a striking business record. In 1969, Brierley co-founded the successful Epsilon Data Management, Inc. He has served as Vice President of Sales and Advertising for Pan American World Airways, and in 1985, launched Brierley & Partners, one of the world’s leading customer loyalty firms. As CEO, Brierley has developed distinguished brands like AT&T, Blockbuster, Hilton, Hertz, Hyatt, Sony, and UPS. Brierley directs his advertising and leadership experience towards preserving the arts on the Executive Boards of the Dallas Symphony, the Dallas Opera, the Center for Performing Arts, and KERA-TV.

FRANCISCO RAUL CANSECO (Laredo) - Member of the American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Texas, Business Section and International Law Section, Francisco Canseco presents the board with extensive legal knowledge. A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, his current areas of practice include School Law, Civil Litigation, Real Estate, Construction Law, as well as Government & Civil Practice.

ROXANN THOMAS CHARGOIS (Austin) – Roxann Chargois joins the board with insight on the importance of art education. She is a current member of the Austin Community College Foundation and the Board of Trustees at St. Edward’s University. Chargois’ experience on the board of Laguna Gloria Art Museum and Austin Women’s Chamber of Commerce will make her an invaluable asset for the Cultural Trust.

WAYNE FISHER (Houston) - Adding to the board’s legal expertise is former State Bar of Texas President, Wayne Fisher. Fisher was awarded “Lawyer of the Year,” by Baylor University in 1982 and has been featured in every edition of “Best Lawyers in America” for both Personal Injury and Civil Litigation, and Business Litigation. Fisher currently serves on the Board of Directors for the South Texas College of Law, is a Fellow of The United States Supreme Court Historical Society Foundation, and is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

ANTHONY HALL (Houston) – Anthony Hall, chief administrative officer for the City of Houston, offers the new board key leadership skills. As a former Vietnam War captain and recipient of the Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars, Hall brings a unique viewpoint to the development of the arts. His work on the board of directors of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Houston Symphony Society indicate that he will be a valuable asset to the board’s cultural efforts.

GENE CHAMBERS JONES (Dallas) – Gene Jones brings a lifetime of community service to the table. Along with major contributions to the Salvation Army’s Dallas County Board and the Children’s Medical Center for Dallas, Jones has shown great support for the Dallas-Fort Worth artistic community. Together, Gene and her husband Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, founded the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Center for Children in 1998, which offers a variety of special programs for children of need in the Irving, Texas area. Serving as an executive on the board of directors and the President’s Advisory Council for the Dallas Center for Performing Arts, she helped raise over $1M for the Founding Family Donor Program in 2004.

MATRICE ELLIS KIRK (Dallas) – Matrice Kirk jumps on board with a plethora of leadership skills. With multiple industry experience, including business development and marketing, operations, finance, strategic planning, information systems, and human resources, Kirk brings business know-how to the Trust. As an employee of international recruiting firm Heidrick and Struggles, Kirk also has a knack for client service in communication industries, shown by her contributions to the UT Southwestern Medical Foundation and The Women’s Museum.

KAREN OSWALT (Austin)- Lifelong artist and civic volunteer, Karen Oswalt has served on the board of directors and advisors for some of Austin’s most respected organizations, including Austin’s Children Museum, Art League of Austin, and The University of Texas College of Fine Arts. Oswalt now chairs the Austin Committee for the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, a biennial celebration of Texas artist and philanthropists. Her art has been exhibited in San Antonio, Aspen, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Austin.

TANIA SCHWARTZ (El Paso) - Also joining the board is recent El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, Tania Schwartz. Schwartz demonstrates a passion for children and the arts through her work as an Instructional Specialist with a focus in Transformative Learning through the Arts. The Founding President of the Women’s Fund of El Paso and current member of Kids Excel El Paso and Impact: Programs of Excellence, Schwartz has dedicated her life to preserving the arts and art education.

Introducing strataTX, A New Young Professionals Network

The Texas Cultural Trust is starting an exciting new giving program to spark involvement in all things creative. strataTX will bring together energetic young professionals in Texas from various industries and backgrounds to support creativity in the arts, culture, and economy. By assembling a community of innovators and thinkers, strataTX will accomplish their mission through the building of social capital, the forming of strategic partnerships, and the generation of fresh ideas. The vision of the group is simple – create. connect. contribute.

To unveil our new group to Austin, strataTX will host a Kick-Off Party on Wednesday, November 15th from 7 to 11 p.m. Festivities will take place at the very chic Design Center of Austin at Penn Field (3601 South Congress, Building C). Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. In celebration of creativity in all forms, there will be performances by 2nd Place finishers at the National Poetry Slam, Team Neo Soul, 2004 Young Master violinist Charles Yang, and a dance piece from the recent We Are Normal, Cha Cha Chaaa by Yellow Tape Construction Co. This event is free, but space will be limited and RSVPs will be required.

For more information about how to join and RSVP for the party, please email Jennifer Wijangco at jennifer@txculturaltrust.org. Also, please visit strataTX’s website at www.stratatx.org.

Crow Collection’s “The Mystical Arts of Tibet”

Intrigued and astounded, visitors will not forget the 2006 Mystical Arts of Tibet presented by the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Hosted from October 7th-14th, the Mystical Arts of Tibet week-long celebration offered museum guests a rare opportunity to experience the exquisite artistic tradition of Mandala sand painting created by Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery. Painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism.

The opening ceremony included chants, meditations, and mantra recitations, laying a path to a seven day journey; millions of grains of colored sand were painstakingly laid into place in this ancient spiritual art form in order to purify and heal the environment. When finished, the closing ceremony captivated a reverent audience as the monks according to spiritual tradition, destroyed the Mandala, symbolizing the impermanence of all that exists. The colored sands were swept up and poured into a nearby body of flowing water where the waters will continue to carry the healing energies throughout the world.

Located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, The Crow Collection is a permanent set of galleries dedicated to the arts and cultures of China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia. The museum offers a serene setting for quiet reflection and learning. To find out more information you can visit their website www.crowcollection.org or call (214) 979-6430.

Be an Institutional Partner!

In 2004 the Texas Cultural Trust created a broadened network of support for the arts. The Institutional Partner program began as a component of the Texas Medal of Arts Awards in 2005 and has evolved into a network to share information and innovation. No funds are necessary for participation; the program is based on reciprocal recognition of the Trust and the Institutional Partner.

The most recent additions to our distinguished network of arts organizations include Arthouse at the Jones Center, ARTS San Antonio, Austin Children’s Choir, Austin Film Society, Camarata San Antonio, Conspirare, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Da Camera of Houston, Dallas Children’s Theatre, Grand 1894 Opera House, Kimbell Art Museum, San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, VSA Arts of Texas, and Young Audiences of Houston. To view a full listing of Institutional Partners, please click here.

For a more information on how to join, please send an email to ipartners@txculturaltrust.org.

2007 Texas Medal of Arts Awards is Just Around the Corner

Aaronetta Pierce and Debbie Montford are Co-Chairs of the April 2nd and 3rd event celebrating the best of Texas. You do not want to miss it. The dinner at the Driskill will sell out, so sign up early! Members of the Texas Medal of Arts Awards Committee are Linda Gibbons, Carole Krist, Jean Roach, Ray Benson, and Joci Straus. The Texas Cultural Trust is proud to announce the following major sponsors

	Platinum	$200,000	AT&T

	Gold	$100,000	Anheuser Busch

	Silver	$75,000	Blue Bell Creameries

	Bronze	$50,000	Summit Alliance

	Capitol	$25,000	Burlington Northern ConocoPhillips Valero

	Legend	$10,000	Andrews & Kurth

For more information on the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Awards visit www.txculturaltrust.org/tmaa.

Adventures in the ARTS Day in Manor ISD a huge success!

On September 19th, the authors of Adventures in the ARTS, Mike Bundlie and Denise Bradley, visited all four elementary schools in Manor ISD to talk about writing and the arts. Thanks to a grant from Applied Materials, every 4th grade student received their very own copy of the book signed by the authors. Thank you to Andrew Kim and Becky Rivera for their hard work in planning the day’s events.

Later in the evening, the authors participated in Project Mustang’s Family Literacy Event at Manor Middle School which featured Adventures in the ARTS. Children received a copy of the book thanks to funding from the 21st Century Grant program and were given the opportunity to do art activities and play on the interactive CD-ROM from the book. Thank you to Tameka Thomas for putting this fun evening together.

While the authors were in town, they also visited Mills Elementary, Casis Elementary, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Thank you to everyone for showing our Californian authors some great Texas hospitality!

The Texas Book Festival was a great success. Adventures in the ARTS: Mystery of the Gooey Grey Glob was featured in the Children’s Demonstration Tent, and the authors signed books at the AT&T booth. The Texas Book Festival is an annual event held at the State Capitol in Austin and took place October 27-29, 2006. To find out more information about the Texas Book Festival, visit www.texasbookfestival.org.

If you haven’t ordered your copy of Adventures in the ARTS: Mystery of the Gooey, Grey Glob yet, visit www.adventuresinthearts.com or place your order over the phone at (512) 478-5289 or toll free at (877) 651-8282.

TCA Legislative Appropriations Request

The 80th Legislative Session will begin on January 9, 2007 but the Texas Commission on the Arts is already working to secure its FY 2008 – 2009 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR).

State agency LARs are comprised of a Base Request and, in some cases, Exceptional Item requests. The Base Request is calculated based upon the dollars actually expended during the previous two years. TCA’s Base Request for FY 2008 – 2009 is approximately $5 million per year.

This year, all state agencies have been instructed to reduce their Base Request by 10% right off the top. Exceptional Item requests are for anything else the agency wishes to be granted in the appropriations process.

Over the past five years, TCA has experienced a 30% loss of funds for grants. Last year, TCA awarded grants to 96% of all qualified applicants. However, the average grant recipient received only 26% of what they requested. TCA seeks an Exceptional Request of $2.5 million to reinstate general revenue to the FY 1986 level for funding grant programs

It should be noted that TCA is continuing with the Sunset Process. During the 80th session, legislation must be introduced to keep the agency alive. The Sunset Advisory Commission has made a recommendation to continue the agency for two more years, but TCA is optimistic the agency may be renewed for the standard twelve year period. Also, per Sunset recommendation, TCA seeks access to the interest earnings from the Texas Cultural Endowment Fund to be used to fund approximately $1.5 million annually in grants to the field.

Texas Women for the Arts Strives to Double Membership

Texas Women for the Arts is kicking off its membership drive for 2006/2007. Rinda Medary of Fort Worth is the Membership Chair and has a goal to double the membership before the May annual meeting to be held in Houston under the guidance of Linda Gale White. Join Texas Women today to help us Awaken and nurture the artist in every Texas child. Click here for more information.

Texans for the Arts Advocates for All the Arts

Texans for the Arts, the official arts advocacy organization for Texas, is gearing up for the 2007 Legislative Session. Texans for the Arts support the Texas Commission on the Arts and protects the Hotel/Motel Tax allocation that provides substantial dollars for the arts in many cities. Every arts supporter in the State should be a member. The cost is minimal, the impact great. Please consider joining to show the strength and breadth of support for the arts. You can make a difference. For more information on how to join, visit texansforthearts.com.