July 2009 Newsletter

We are pleased to announce the appointment of six new members to the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors. The new appointees come from all over the state, and many have received numerous awards and honors in their respective fields.

CLAUDIA CARROLL (Tyler) - Carroll is an accomplished musician and musical instructor. She is the Co-founder, as well as a Board Member, of Save Our Arts Radio, a group formed to bring public radio to East Texas. She is a former President of both the Tyler ISD Council of PTAs and Tyler Youth Orchestra Band. She was previously an Executive Board Member of People Attempting to Help (PATH) and currently continues her involvement with the organization as a volunteer caseworker.

GREGORY DAVIS (Dallas) - In 2003, the City of Dallas appointed Davis General Manager of WRR Classical 101.1 FM. He currently serves on several boards and commissions including the Van Cliburn Foundation, The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasters Committee, and Dallas Museum of Art. He has received several awards, including the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award of Broadcasting Excellence, the Black College Radio Broadcaster of the Year Award, and the MarCom Professional Marketing awards.

CAROL HAYNES (Abilene) - Haynes is a former educator and a University of Texas alumnus. She previously served as Executive Director of the Children's Performing Art Series and Grants Administrator for the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council. She is also very active in the Abilene community serving as a Board Member for several organizations including the Abilene Zoo, Grace Museum, Hendrick Home for Children and the Junior League of Abilene.

GAYLE HUNT (El Paso) - Hunt, a University of Texas alumnus, is a former teacher and now Vice President and Board Member of the Hunt Family Foundation. She also serves on the El Paso Symphony Board, FEMAP Foundation Board, J.P. Morgan Chase El Paso Charitable Advisory Committee and the Junior League of El Paso.

TERESA LOZANO LONG (Austin) - A previous recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Dr. Lozano Long is one of Austin's most committed supporters of art and education. She was the first Mexican-American to earn a Doctor of Education in Health Physical Education from the University of Texas and continues to support the university through her involvement with the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin-American Studies and serving on several councils. She is also a member of the National Advisory Board and Texas Committee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Ballet Austin Board, and the Pan American Round Table in Austin.

ANN WILLIAMS (Dallas) - Williams is the founder and artistic director of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in September 2002, and in April 2005 she was honored at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the African-American Choreography series. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Ballet Theater and the International Association of Blacks in Dance. She is a dance consultant and has served as a dance panelist for several organizations such as the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Memories Made at the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts

Everything is bigger in Texas, and the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards was no exception. On Tuesday, April 7, arts patrons from all over the state gathered at the Long Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate some of Texas' biggest and brightest stars. Among the 2009 Honorees (listed below) was former First Lady, Laura W. Bush, to accept a very special Standing Ovation Award for outstanding involvement and promotion of the arts in Texas and our nation.

This year's award ceremony could not have been more spectacular. The Kilgore Rangerettes kicked off the show with one of their incredible routines and Theatre Arts honoree, Betty Buckley, brought the entire audience to their feet after her performance of "Memory" from the Broadway musical, Cats. Arts Education honoree, James Dick performed a piano duet with Stephanie Chen, one of our very talented Young Masters, and Music honoree, Clint Black, performed as well. Presenter, Mike Judge, known for comedies such as King of the Hill and Office Space, added a bit of comedy to the night using some of his well known character voices to present Robert Rodriguez the Texas Medal of Art for Film. The ceremony ended with a grand finale which brought Ray Benson, Clint Black and Grammy award winning Los Lonely Boys together for a performance that had everyone dancing in the aisles.

Many thanks to our Co-chairs, Pam Willeford and Karen Oswalt, for their vision, time and commitment to make the event a success. And to C3 Presents for their hard work in turning the vision into reality. We also want to thank all of our sponsors, AT&T, Anheuser Busch Companies, Gulf States Toyota, BP, Texas Monthly, and more. The 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards raised over $1 million in gross revenue, which will go a long way to help the Texas Cultural Trust highlight and promote the importance of the arts in educating our children and sustaining our vibrant economy.

Thank you to Governor and Mrs. Perry, Lt. Governor and Mrs. Dewhurst and Speaker and Mrs. Straus for their active participation in the events celebrating the arts in Texas.

For more information about the event and honorees, visit http://www.txculturaltrust.org/tmaa.

2009 Texas Medal of Arts Honorees

Laura W. Bush, Dallas - Standing Ovation
Robert Rauschenberg, Port Arthur - Lifetime Achievement accepted by son Christopher Rauschenberg
Lake|Flato Architects, San Antonio - Architecture
James Dick, Round Top - Arts Education
Anheuser Busch Companies - Corporate Arts Patron accepted by David Peacock, President
Robert Rodriguez, San Antonio - Film
Edith O’Donnell, Dallas - Individual Arts Patron
Austin City Limits, Austin - Multimedia accepted by Terry Lickona, Producer
Clint Black, Houston - Music
T. R. Fehrenbach, San Benito - Literary Arts
Betty Buckley, Fort Worth - Theatre Arts
Keith Carter, Beaumont - Visual Arts

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst Receives National Arts Award

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst was honored with the 2009 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership. The award is presented annually by the Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association in recognition of exceptional leadership in advancing the arts at the state level. The award was presented on July 29, 2009 at the National Lieutenant Governors Association's annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

"I'm very honored to receive this prestigious award. The arts not only enrich our lives, but they also help us understand and appreciate Texas' rich heritage and the many cultures and communities of our great state," Lt. Governor Dewhurst said. "Through the arts, our lives are made more colorful, our minds are further challenged and our appreciation for the infinite capacity of human expression grows deeper every day."

Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit arts advocacy organization. Lt. Governor Dewhurst was selected for this year's award as a result of his longstanding commitment to support the arts in Texas. "Lt. Governor Dewhurst has demonstrated consummate leadership in supporting public funding for the arts," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "His advocacy for the arts in Texas has proven to be a great success."

Also, earlier this year, Lt. Governor Dewhurst was an Honorary Co-Chair of the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Award.

For more information on Lt. Governor Dewhurst and the organizations honoring him, please visit the following websites:

www.ltgov.state.tx.us, Lt. Governor Dewhurst's State Website
www.nlga.us, National Lt. Governor's Association Website
www.artsusa.org, Americans for the Arts Website

81st Legislative Session: Big Wins for the Arts

Governor Perry signed House Bill 2242, a bill to dissolve the Texas Cultural Endowment Fund, sponsored by Representatives Mark Leibowitz and Donna Howard. The bill stipulates that the State-invested dollars will be transferred to the Texas Commission on the Arts to be distributed through statewide grants. The privately raised dollars are to be returned to the donor, which were raised by the Texas Cultural Trust Council. The Texas Cultural Trust plans to honor the intent of its donors by creating a private endowment with interest benefiting TCA.

House Bill 3, the accountability bill, included one credit of fine arts and physical education in the Recommended Program high school graduation plan beginning with the students who graduate in 2015. This plan will require 26 credits to graduate - four credits each in math, science, English language arts and social studies, two credits of foreign language, and one credit each of fine arts and physical education.

Starting in 2011, every student will be required to complete a single fine arts course during middle school (grades six, seven, and eight). This legislation marks the first time fine arts has been required in law for middle school students.

Senator Florence Shapiro championed these arts education efforts this legislative session.

"I amended it to reinstate one credit of Fine Arts and one credit of P.E. in all graduation programs. Since we first voted on SB 3, it has become apparent that Fine Arts education is becoming more and more critical to post-secondary readiness. Exposure to fine arts is critical not just in the middle school grades, not just in elementary, but in high school as well to ensure students are post-secondary ready."

Also, thanks to Lt. Governor Dewhurst, the Texas Cultural Trust is slated to receive $1 million in stimulus dollars from the legislature this biennium. A committee of the Board of Directors will determine the expenditures pending instructions regarding federal requirements.

The Trust owes a great debt of gratitude to a number of our legislators in helping us with this session. Thank you to Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Speaker of the House Joe Straus, Senator Florence Shapiro, Senator Kel Seliger, Representative David Leibowitz, Representative Donna Howard, and Representative Mark Homer for their support.

20 Reasons the Texas Economy Depends on the Arts and the Creative Sector

On May 2nd, the Texas Cultural Trust held a press conference at the Capitol about the findings of a new statewide economic study. Grammy Award winning musician and Texas Cultural Trust Board Member Ray Benson joined Senator Florence Shapiro to show their support of the arts in education and the economy. Here are some compelling results from the study:

By 2016, it is projected that 1 in 12 jobs throughout Texas will be creative industry jobs.
Wages in the creative sector are, on average, 80.8% higher than non-creative industries. This is the real power behind our state's economy.
Studies have found a noticeable overlap between the skills required for innovative occupations and the skills fostered by K-12 arts curriculum.

These are just three reasons you will find in 20 Reasons the Texas Economy Depends on the Arts and the Creative Sector, an executive summary of the full economic report commissioned by the Texas Cultural Trust. In The Role of the Innovation Workforce & Creative Sector in the Texas Economy, an undeniable connection has been found between support for the arts, a vibrant creative sector and a strong economy. TXP, Inc., an economic analysis firm based in Austin, produced the report using data from the Texas workforce commission and existing city-based economic studies. As one of the fastest growing industry sectors, we must ensure that our children are properly educated and our 501(c)(3) arts organizations are supported to build the quality of life infrastructure necessary to grow and attract a creative workforce.

To download 20 Reasons and the full economic report, please visit www.createtexas.org.

Texas Women for the Arts Update: $90,000 Granted, New Officers, Annual Trip to Santa Fe

On April 23rd, Texas Women for the Arts gathered in Austin for their Annual Meeting. Our members began their day with a tour and lunch at the Blanton Museum of Art before convening over tea at the home of Teresa Long. Joe Long was on-hand to give us his personal tour of their outstanding art collection.

At the Meeting, the following programs were approved for funding:

Organization	Project	Funded Amount
Imagination Celebration	Debbie Allen Dance Institute	15,000
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio	Music Learning Center	18,000
Kids Excel El Paso	Dance for disadvantaged youth	14,500
Austin Symphony	Young People’s Concerts	12,500
Texas Commission on the Arts	Summer Reading Program	15,000
The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake	Education and outreach program	3,000
Southwest School of Art and Craft	Young Artist Programs	5,000
Texas Commission on the Arts	Young Audiences Chapters	7,000

Also, the 2009-2010 slate of officers was approved.

Chair - Jan Bullock (Austin)
Nominations - Sandra Gilliland (Amarillo)
Membership - Grace Kelly (Houston)
Program - Marsland Moncrief (Fort Worth)
Grants - Gayle Hunt (El Paso)

Building on the success of last year's first annual members' trip, Texas Women for the Arts will travel this fall to Santa Fe. The scheduled dates for the trip are October 21-24, 2009 - art, fun and camaraderie are guaranteed. Our Texas Women will stay at the Inn of the Anasazi, and activities will include tours of private homes, exclusive dinners and gallery tours.

Currently there are over 160 members statewide, but the more members, the more money we have to contribute to the arts! Since its inception three years ago, Texas Women for the Arts has donated over $440,000 to worthy programs upholding the vision to Awaken and nurture the artist in every Texas child. To find out more information about how you can be a part of Texas Women for the Arts, please contact Amy Barbee at abarbee@txculturaltrust.org or visit www.txculturaltrust.org/programs_d.html.

Texas Legislature Designates Artists to Represent State

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has announced the 2009 and 2010 appointments to the positions of state poet laureate, state musician, state two-dimensional artist and state three-dimensional artist. The designation of state artists dates back to the naming of the first poet laureate in 1932. The eight appointees named for 2009 and 2010 were selected for the exceptional quality of their work and for their outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas.

The 2009 appointees include Texas State Poet Laureate Paul Ruffin of Huntsville, Texas State Musician Willie Nelson of Austin, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Rene Alvarado of San Angelo, and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist Eliseo Garcia of Dallas.

The 2010 appointees include Texas State Poet Laureate Karla K. Morton of Denton, Texas State Musician Sara Hickman of Austin, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Marc Burckhardt of Austin and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist John Bennett of Fredericksburg.

"State artists demonstrate the essence of what art in Texas is all about," Rep. Mark Homer, chair of the House of Representative's Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism said. "The work of these artists, and others like them, ensures that art and culture thrives in our great state, and we are pleased to honor these talented men and women with this recognition."

The Texas Commission on the Arts reviewed all nominations and developed a list of finalists for submission to the Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician and State Artist Committee. The committee, composed of members appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, made the final selections.

The next call for nominations for Texas State Artists will take place more than a year from now in the fall of 2010. Questions regarding the Texas State Artist program should be directed to TCA's director of marketing and communications at gaye@arts.state.tx.us.

strataTX's First Ever Fashion Event

On June 23rd, strataTX turned up the style by hosting a fashion event featuring five Austin accessory designers: Shimmer & Bliss (silk scarves), Kalio Chic (handbags), Tracy Tenpenny Designs (jewelry), Mint Owl (ties), and Sweettooth Bags (flower accessories). Models showed off these exciting designers' works with lots of attitude among Kirk Gallery's very hip and contemporary furniture and home decor. Many thanks to Jeff Kirk, Kenichi, KIND Healthy Snacks, Honest Tea, and all the models for generously supporting our event.

In February, we joined our friends, Catalyst 8, for a very special Valentine’s reception at Gallerie Jean Moulin in Hyde Park. The two groups spent the night networking and mingling while enjoying the work of local artists Terrence Moline and Tom Besson and creating their own artwork as well.

On March 5th members attended Warpstar Sexysquad, a new comedic production by Yellow Tape Construction Company, at The Off Center. A post-show reception gave members the opportunity to hang out with the cast and crew of this hilarious stage show.

As part of Fusebox Festival in May, strataTX members saw the Golden Hornet Project's latest performance with a special after-show meet-and-greet with the musicians.

Clearly, strataTX has the scoop on all the best Austin has to offer in the arts and creativity. For more information on joining strataTX and what’s coming up next on the calendar, visit our website at www.stratatx.org.

Young Master Profile: Stephanie Chen

Stephanie Chen, pianist, was recently named a Davidson Fellow in recognition of excellence by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. She performed earlier this year onstage at the Long Center during the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards with Arts Education honoree and world-renowned concert pianist, James Dick.

Chen won the first prize in the 2007 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, and thereafter made her debut at Carnegie Hall in the competition's winners recital series. During the summer of 2007, Ms. Chen appeared on National Public Radio's From the Top program, collaborating with Christopher O'Riley and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos.

On top of Ms. Chen's success in competitions and awards, she has also appeared as a soloist with several different orchestras. She made her orchestral debut at age nine, performing Mozart's Concerto No. 23 in A Major with the Austin Civic Orchestra.

Ms. Chen is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Jerome Lowenthal. Past significant teachers include Anton Nel and Susan Groves.

Applications for the 2010 Class of Young Masters will be accepted later this year. For more information about this program, click here.

Institutional Parter: Rude Mechanicals

Rude Mechanicals (aka Rude Mechs) is an internationally acclaimed theatre company based in Central Texas. The company creates new plays and tours them nationally and internationally. At home in Austin, they run a performance venue called The Off Center - a 10,000 s.f. performance complex. Rude Mechs makes The Off Center available year-round to Austin's finest music, dance and theatre groups at the most affordable rental rates in town.

This Summer finds them at their busiest yet. In May, they closed their original play The Method Gun, which Austin American-Statesman arts writer Jeanne Claire van Ryzin called "nothing short of the best work this theater collective has done in its 13 years as it has carved out its well-respected reputation on the international indie theater scene."

In June, Rude Mechs enjoyed two residencies to develop their NEA NPDP award-winning new western operetta / performance party, I've Never Been So Happy. The first residency was part of the University of Texas Theatre and Dance Department's New Musical Theatre Initiative. The second residency was at The Orchard Project in the Catskills. Look for Rude Mechs to mount another work-in-progress showing of I've Never Been So Happy at The Off Center from September 10 - 20th.

Another exciting program is Grrl Action - a year-round mentoring program for teenage girls that kicks off with a 3-week intensive workshop in autobiographical writing for performance. This summer workshop culminated in two free public performances of the work the girls created this past July 25 and 26, celebrating Grrl Action's 10th Anniversary!

Up next, in August the Rudes will host their annual fundraiser, The Eye Ball. This year its The Sci-Eye Ball featuring free beer and food, a cash bar and an out of this world silent auction. Come on out and party like it's 19,999! For more information about Rude Mechs, visit www.rudemechs.com or call 512-476-RUDE.