May 2008 Newsletter

Letter from the Chair

           April 9th was a red-letter day for 15 new Young Masters who were introduced at a luncheon hosted by Texas Women for the Arts in Austin. Each Young Master will receive a scholarship of $2,500/year for up to three years for educational and training opportunities in his or her chosen field. Honorary Chair and Texas First Lady Anita Perry spoke at the event, eloquently expressing the importance of the arts in the quality of our lives. The new Young Masters were treated to a performance by a current Young Master, fiddler extraordinaire Damian Green and learned how Margaux Crump and Ebony Cunningham had benefited from the experiences that their Young Masters scholarship provided. AT&T provided the initial funding for this program which has proved to be extremely successful.
            The next event on the Texas Cultural Trust calendar is the annual Texas Women for the Arts meeting in San Antonio on Tuesday, May 13. Joci Straus will host the meeting in her home. There will be a tour of the McNay Art Museum and a lunch prior to the meeting for those who would like to participate.    At the meeting, members of Texas Women for the Arts will vote on the recipients of this year’s grants. Please contact Amy Barbee in the Texas Cultural Trust office if you would like to participate in the meeting but have not yet joined Texas Women for the Arts.
            I know that it is hard to believe, but plans are already well underway for next year’s Texas Medal of the Arts Awards. Karen Oswalt and Pam Willeford are chairing the events which will be held on April 6 and 7, 2009. The Awards Ceremony and Dinner on April 7 will be moving to the exciting new Long Center for the Performing Arts. Please put the date on your calendar now as it will be an evening that you do not want to miss.
            I am amazed and gratified by the support of all the board members, donors, and friends of Texas Cultural Trust for the arts in Texas. It is an honor and a pleasure to serve all of you.

Congratulations to the 2008 Young Masters Class

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) and the Texas Cultural Trust are proud to announce the 2008 class of Young Masters, a grant program that provides exemplary art students in grades 8-12 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literature, music, theatre, dance and media arts. On April 9th, Texas Women for the Arts sponsored a luncheon in their honor at the Four Seasons in Austin with First Lady Anita Perry as Honorary Chair. This year’s promising young students come from all over the state and together display a variety of artistic talents. The chosen students include: Julia Cinquemani, Dallas; Catherine Cleary, Houston; Torrance Cobb, Beaumont; Maureen Fenninger, Houston; Bernadette Gnass, Wimberly; Boris Karash, Houston; Rachael Milton, Austin; Robbie Moore, Porter; Amber Pickens, Dallas; Katie Pipkin, Austin; Rosemary Clare Salvucci, San Antonio; Christine Smith, Dallas; Thales Smith, Austin; Robert Switala, Grapevine; and Kira Viola, El Paso.

The state’s most talented young artists will receive the title of “Young Master” and will be awarded grants of up to $2,500 per year to further their studies in their chosen arts disciplines. Students are eligible to receive the grant for up to three years, but they must reapply annually. This gifted group of 15 students represents the fourth class of Young Masters. The Trust and TCA have given 107 grants to 52 previous Young Masters, awarding $267,500 to aspiring artists prior to this year’s class.

In order to be considered for the grant, students must be U.S. citizens living in Texas and participating in a school-based program, a summer institute, or a specialized course of study or receiving private lessons from a qualified professional instructor. They must also maintain passing grades in all academic areas. Young Masters were selected by a citizen panel of experts from across the state based on level of potential, level of commitment and quality of their proposed plan of action. Selection is sensitive to students who have potential yet may be underserved in their community due to financial need or geographic isolation. For more information, please visit http://www.arts.state.tx.us/ym/.

Texas Women for the Arts Ramps Up Membership for Annual Meeting

On May 13th, Texas Women for the Arts will gather in San Antonio for their Annual Meeting. This year, our members will be treated to a tour and lunch at the McNay Art Museum before convening over tea at the home of Joci Straus. At this Meeting, the Women will vote and decide which programs will receive their funds. In preparation, Texas Women all over the state have been busy recruiting new members. Currently there are 187 members statewide, but the more members, the more money we have to give away! In two short years, Texas Women for the Arts has already donated $210,000 to worthy programs across the state.

In El Paso on Valentine’s Day, over 40 distinguished women gathered for lunch hosted by Tania Schwartz at the El Paso Club to learn about this powerful giving circle. March 5th, we had a group of similar size meet at the home of Ginger Blanton over coffee to learn about how they can get involved. There is still time for you to join and help Awaken and Nurture the Artist in Every Texas Child. To find out more information, please contact Amy Barbee at abarbee@txculturaltrust.org or visit http://www.txculturaltrust.org/programs_d.html.

Austin Welcomes the Long Center for the Performing Arts

On March 28 and 29, Austin celebrated the opening of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts. The Long Center is a community-based project planned principally as a center for the performing arts and home to Founding Resident Companies, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera and Ballet Austin. However, the Long Center will not only be a first-class venue that puts established and burgeoning performing arts groups center stage, but also a community center to showcase a variety of individual performers as well as education, business, and other civic users.

The Long Center comprises two venues, the 2,400 seat Michael and Susan Dell Hall and the flexible Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre. The Long Center also offers specially designed rooms for community arts education programs, workshops, special events, and meetings, plus the City Terrace public plaza. Built on the original site of Palmer Auditorium, 65% of the Palmer’s building materials were reused in the Long Center. The old metal roof tiles of the Palmer can be seen on the lake-facing façade of the building and even in the elevators. Perhaps most remarkable is that the $77 million project has been funded entirely from private dollars with over 4,600 donors. For information on upcoming performances, please visit www.thelongcenter.org.

Create Texas is in the Works with Funding from Founders for the Arts

Last fall, we sent out a mailing statewide for Founders for the Arts, an annual giving program asking members to contribute $1000 a year for three years, or a onetime gift of $3000. Already, we have accumulated a list of esteemed members, including Houston Mayor Bill White, Former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe, Philanthropist Red McCombs, and the Honorable Robert Mosbacher. 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.

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. Austin marketing firm Russell Shaw has been hired to draft a plan for this exciting project. For information about Create Texas and to download colorful ads supporting arts education, visit www.createtexas.org.

strataTX is On the Austin Scene

strataTX members have been busy this year with non-stop events. We kicked off 2008 with a happy hour at Union Park to catch up and meet our newly joined members. Then in February we were treated to a private viewing of the Austin Museum of Art’s New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch triennial exhibit. In early March, strataTX partnered with our friends at Yelp.com for a Rooftop Rawk Party at Molotov Lounge where we enjoyed the sounds of indie rock band Sheboygan. In April we attended the University of Texas’ performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, with a special pre-show lecture by Director Rod Caspers and Interim Executive Director of the UT Performing Arts Center Charles Leslie.

And there will be no rest for our members as we continue to pack the rest of the year with opportunities to experience the best Austin has to offer in creativity. We are currently organizing a visit to Austin Film Society’s Austin Studios. And July 24th we’ll rollerskate the night away after watching Forklift Dancework’s Skate Dance Party at Playland Skate Center.

You don’t want to miss out on all these fun events. Join online now!