Letter from the Chair

This is an exciting time for the arts in Texas, and I’m honored to be able to serve as chair of the Texas Cultural Trust.  I must begin my term by thanking our outgoing chair, Donna Axum Whitworth, for her leadership and service to this organization, and our Board members, especially Debbie Montford and Joci Straus, for their vision in establishing and nurturing the Texas Cultural Trust to further the arts in Texas, and for their ongoing commitment to the Trust.

The Strategic Planning Committee met in September and again in October.  We addressed our visions and goals for the Trust and discussed ways to accomplish these.    The Board will finalize a plan that will guide and direct our initiatives over the next five years at our December meeting.  I look forward to presenting it to you in our next newsletter. 

Executive Director Amy Barbee and I met with representatives of Texas Commission on the Arts and Texans for the Arts to coordinate our efforts in support of the state’s arts programs.  New Texas Commission on the Arts Executive Director Dr. Gary Gibbs is a welcome addition to this process of clarifying each organization’s role and determining how we can best support one another.

Speaker of the House Tom Craddick joined Linda Foster, AT&T External Affairs Director for the Permian Basin, and me in presenting copies of Adventures in the ARTS: Mystery of the Gooey Gray Glob to economically disadvantaged children in Midland Independent School District.  AT&T supported the development of this book, and Texas Women for the Arts purchased the 1200 books that were distributed to all children in grades two through five in five elementary schools.  I wish each of you could have been there to see the delight on the children’s faces!

Plans are underway for our next Texas Women for the Arts meeting.  Our next meeting will be April --, 2008 at the home of Joci Straus in San Antonio.  If you are interested in joining this fun giving circle, contact our Amy Barbee.

As you can see, the Texas Cultural Trust is busy these days.  We thank you for your commitment to the arts in Texas and appreciate your support of the Trust and our efforts.

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Joci Straus and Jack Blanton, Sr. launch new giving circle – Founders for the Arts

Founders for the Arts is an annual giving program, which asks members to contribute $1000 a year for three years, or a onetime gift of $3000. Founders for the Arts was created to support the strategic marketing and public relations campaign Create Texas to promote the arts across our state. The goal is to highlight the importance of the arts in educating our children and sustaining our vibrant Texas economy. By elevating arts education to the level of core curriculum and increasing funding for the arts for economic development and quality of life, Texas can ensure a competitive edge for the future

"I believe the arts must be an integral part of a well-rounded education in order for children to truly realize their potential in this world. The earlier we can introduce children to the arts, the better", states co-chair Jack Blanton.

Co-chair Jocelyn Straus tells us, "The arts are a major part of our being at birth. We as human beings must nurture and develop our core values and insure that the arts are a major part of our everyday life. Without the arts we are with out inspiration, growth, and creativity."

If you’re interested in joining this important initiative, please contact Amy Barbee at abarbee@txculturaltrust.org or visit http://www.txculturaltrust.org/programs_a.html.

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Texas Women for the Arts Donates 1200 Copies of Adventures in the ARTS to Midland ISD

On October 24th and 25th, the Texas Cultural Trust traveled west to give away copies of Adventures in the ARTS: Mystery of the Gooey, Grey Glob to five economically disadvantaged schools in Midland ISD. Thanks to a grant from Texas Women for the Arts, over 1200 students in grades 2 through 5 received their very own copy of the book and CD-ROM.

At South Elementary, Midland-native and Speaker of the House Tom Craddick spoke to the students and passed out the books. "Studies have shown that introducing art education among grade school youth improves their chances of better grasping mathematics and science," Speaker Craddick said. "The more we encourage our students to think creatively, the more of them will be our future doctors and scientists."

Also in attendance at South Elementary was Linda Foster, AT&T External Affairs Director for the Permian Basin. Adventures in the ARTS was made possible by a generous grant from the AT&T Foundation. The other four recipient schools were Travis, DeZavala, Crockett, and Milam Elementary.

If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for young children, you can order your copy of Adventures in the ARTS: Mystery of the Gooey, Grey Glob online at www.adventuresinthearts.com, or place your order over the phone at (512) 478-5289 or toll free at (877) 651-8282.

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Texas Commission on the Arts Names New Executive Director Dr. Gary Gibbs

In September, the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) announced that Dr. Gary Gibbs will take center stage as the Commission’s new executive director. After an extensive review process, the decision was finalized at TCA’s Sept. 6 commission meeting. The past director of education and outreach for the Houston Grand Opera, Dr. Gibbs officially began his role as TCA’s executive director on Oct. 1.

Since 1991, Dr. Gibbs served as the director of education and outreach for the Houston Grand Opera. During his tenure, he commissioned and produced numerous operas for student and family audiences and developed hundreds of community events to make opera more accessible to the general public. He also designed programs that reached approximately 300,000 people per year and were recognized as national models by OPERA America.

“After an extended and successful career with the Houston Grand Opera, I am looking forward to broadening my horizons and serving the citizens of Texas in this important role,” said Gibbs. “I believe Texas is a strong leader in so many industries – including the arts. It’s my goal to strengthen and increase the visibility of the existing arts programs and initiatives throughout this great state so that we are continually recognized nationwide for our artistic talent and cultural diversity.”

Dr. Gibbs has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Houston Arts Alliance and TCA. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education in voice from Baylor University in Waco, a Master of Music in voice from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth and a Ph.D. in musicology from The University of Texas at Austin.

For more information about the Texas Commission on the Arts, please visit http://www.arts.state.tx.us/.

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strataTX Celebrates its First Year at One From the East

On November 7th, young professionals gathered at Salvage Vanguard Theater in East Austin to celebrate the one-year anniversary of strataTX at One From the East.  It was an action-packed night with special guest Michelle Valles of KXAN Austin News leading the festivities.  Young Master Damian Green wowed the audience with his high-energy fiddling and was later followed by the BBoy City breakdancers.  Markus with a K provided music throughout the night on the turntables, Austin Museum of Digital Art laid out a room of video art culled from their collection, and photographs and paintings adorned the gallery walls by artists from the East Austin Studio Tour. 

Also, that night, it was announced that strataTX will donate $25 per member in the next year to Create Texas, the strategic marketing and public relations campaign of the Texas Cultural Trust to promote the arts statewide. 

2008 promises to be another exciting year of cutting-edge events.  If you don’t want to miss out, join online now!

Photos by Keith Gaddis.

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Send in Your Nominations for the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards

The Texas Cultural Trust is now accepting nominations for the biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards (TMAA), celebrating the state’s legendary artists, entertainers and art patrons. Past TMAA winners include: Van Cliburn, Tommy Lee Jones, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Tommy Tune, Lyle Lovett, Vikki Carr, Walter Cronkite, Ornette Coleman, Bill Wittliff, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joe and Teresa Long, Nancy Hamon, Bill and Diana Hobby, and more.

“The Texas Medal of Arts Awards are an opportunity to celebrate some of the most creative talent in the world who were either raised in Texas, developed a significant portion of their body of work in Texas, or supported the arts in a way that made a significant impact on arts development in the state,” says Karen Oswalt, co-chair of the 2009 TMAA.

On April 6th and 7th, 2009 in Austin, the Texas Cultural Trust will host the 5th biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards.  Nominations will be accepted in the following categories:

“The Texas Medal of Arts Awards is a celebration of the outstanding artistic talent and generosity of Texans from across the state.  We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate in the selection of our awardees through this open nomination process. This is the Texas Medal of Arts and we want Texans to be a part of it,” said The Honorable Pam Willeford, co-chair of the 2009 TMAA. 

Nomination forms and criteria can be found online at www.txculturaltrust.org/tmaa. Nominations must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, January 15, 2008.

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Young Master Lindsey Maxon Wins Statewide Fiction Writing Contest

Lindsey Maxon, a 2006 Young Master in Literature, recently won first place in a Texas statewide fiction contest.  One of her short stories placed first in the Texas Book Festival/University Interscholastic League (UIL) Fiction Writing Contest in the Grade 9 -10 category.  Her winning short story has been published on the Texas Book Festival website here at http://www.texasbookfestival.org/childrens_chapter/UIL.php.

At the Texas Book Festival, Lindsey was recognized at the opening ceremony in the House Chamber of the State Capitol on Saturday, November 3rd.  Later that day, she delivered a reading of her first place story.

Lindsey’s mother, Jannet Maxon, says, “Lindsey has benefited from some exceptional learning opportunities through the Young Masters Program.  They have helped further develop her creative writing skills enabling her to create works of fiction, such as the short story recognized by the Texas Book Festival.”

For more information about the Young Masters scholarship program, please click here.   

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Texas Book Festival Raises Dollars and Draws Large Crowds

The 12th Annual Texas Book Festival featured a broad and fascinating swath of the country’s most respected authors, from bestselling thriller writer Michael Connelly, National Book Award-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis, and Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein to the editors of The Onion and Southern humorist Roy Blount Jr. Oscar-winning actress and children’s writer Marlee Matlin talked about her latest novel, Leading Ladies; New Yorker music critic Alex Ross played clips from groundbreaking 20th-century music; and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi demonstrated recipes from her new cookbook Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet. Thanks to sponsorship from the Texas Cultural Trust, the Festival’s roster of photojournalists and artists such as Melissa Miller, Bill Wittliff, and Dance Halls of Texas authors Gail Folkins and J. Marcus Weekley had standing-room only crowds.

The Festival had a crowd of some 45,000 book lovers during the two-day event at the Texas State Capitol – the Festival is entirely open and free to the public. Proceeds from the Festival are donated to Texas public libraries. The Festival has given over two million dollars to Texas public libraries over its 12-year history.  Put November 1-2 on your calendar for next year’s Festival!  www.texasbookfestival.org.

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