September 2008 Newsletter

Greetings! I hope that you enjoyed your summer vacation. While many of us were relaxing, Texas Cultural Trust Board and Staff members were hard at work on a number of different projects.

Nominating Chairman Donna Whitworth and her hard working committee presented the names of 10 highly qualified candidates from across the state at the June Board meeting, and all were elected to the Board at that time. Their names and bios are listed in the article below. Returning Board members welcomed them at an Orientation Session and the September meeting of the Board of Directors. We are excited that they have chosen to join us in furthering the mission of the Texas Cultural Trust.

The Texas Women for the Arts are going on a trip! Members will travel to Washington, D.C. from October 1 through October 4. Members have asked for an opportunity to get together more than once a year, and this trip should be a great way to spend time with other Texas women who share their interest in the arts. Highlights of the itinerary include a choice of performances at the Kennedy Center and tours of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the White House.

Preparations for an exciting Texas Medal of the Arts Awards gala continue. Karen Oswalt, Pam Willeford, and many others are covering every detail to be sure that this is the event of the season. We know that you will be impressed by our Texan honorees and the lovely evening Karen and Pam have planned for us at the beautiful new Long Center for the Performing Arts next April.

Advocacy for the arts is part of the Core Purpose of the Trust. To that end, the Board of Directors voted to endorse the legislative agenda adopted by Texans for the Arts. The first priority of their agenda is to increase appropriations for state arts funding. The second is to support all efforts during the legislative session to maintain local governments ability to utilize the Hotel Occupancy Tax for the promotion of the arts in Texas. The Trust believes that both of these priorities are of the utmost importance to the arts in Texas.

Finally, I want to thank you for your interest in the arts and in the Texas Cultural Trust. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with you to further the arts in Texas.

We are pleased to announce our new mission statement and the appointment of ten new members to the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors, in our continued efforts to ensure the future of the arts and arts education, statewide.

MISSION STATEMENT
To inspire, integrate, and illuminate the arts in Texas. Our goal is to provide leadership to promote and highlight the importance of the arts in educating our children and sustaining our vibrant Texas economy. Supporting the arts ensures Texas’ cultural and economic advantage for the future. This mission is guided by our vision of a vibrant Texas where the arts inspire excellence.

BOARD MEMBERS
The Board of Directors comprises members from across the state. Many of the new appointees have held positions in state and national politics, including United States Ambassador to Switzerland, University board positions, and the Governors Office for Volunteer Services.

PATRICIA HAMILTON BIVINS (Houston) – Bivins is a Life Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation and former Member of the Houston Young Lawyers Association. A graduate of The University of Houston Law Center, she has done work for the 157th Civil District Court, worked for the U.S. Department of State at U.S. Embassy Stockholm and is now an independent legal consultant. Her areas of practice include commercial, eminent domain, product liability, toxic tort, personal injury defense and construction law.

MICHELLE K. BROCK (Midland) – Brock comes to The Trust from the Board of Trustees of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum Foundation. A landman with G.W. Brock in oil and gas exploration in Midland, Brock brings a valued, unique perspective to the arts board. She currently serves on the Select Commission on Higher Education and Global Competitiveness, The University of Texas Foundation, Inc., and the UT McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors. She is a past chair of both the Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee and the UT College of Liberal Arts Foundation Advisory Council.

GEORGE R. FARISH, JR. (Brownsville) - Farish jumps on board as Immediate Past President of the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts. Farish is the managing partner for Laguna Development Group, Ltd., a Brownsville-based real estate development firm that focuses on environmentally sustainable projects. With a plethora of civic organizational experiences, such as the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, and The Texas Southmost College Scholarship Foundation, Farish will prove to be an asset to the Trust Board.

F.R. “BUCK” FILES, JR. (Tyler) - Adding to the 2008-2009 board’s legal expertise is certified criminal defense lawyer, F. R. Files, Jr. In 2004, Files was named Defense Lawyer of the Year by the Criminal Justice Section of the State Bar of Texas. He is a charter member and former director of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and writes a monthly column, “The Federal Corner”, for The Voice for the Defense. He is also the Past President of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra Association.

SHARON CORNELIUS McCULLOUGH (Dallas) – McCullough brings a lifetime of community service to the table. Along with major contributions to the Dallas Theater Center, Young Life, and Dallas County Unity Cerebral Palsy Dallas County Board and the Children’s Medical Center for Dallas, McCullough has served as President of The Dallas Woman’s Club, Young Lawyers Wives of Dallas and The Dallas Garden Club. In 2007 she received the Dallas Historical Society Awards for Excellence Award for Community Service.

JESÚS MOROLES (Rockport) – Internationally recognized sculptor Moroles is recipient of the 2007 Texas Medal of the Arts Awards in Visual Arts. Moroles began his sculpting career in 1978 under the direction of Luis Jiménez. His apprenticeship was followed by a year of sculpting in Pietrasanta, Italy and then three decades of successful work. His most visible public sculpture is “Lapstrake” 1987, a massive 22- foot tall, 64-ton work located across from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Moroles has more than 2,000 works in place in China, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, in museum, corporate and private collections.

GEORGE H. NICHOLS (Abilene) – As the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of the The Arnold Palmer Golf Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, retired business leader, George Nichols brings significant business acumen to the Trust Board. His passion for the arts is undeniable as he also serves on the Board of Directors for The Abilene Arts Alliance, The Abilene Cultural Affairs Council and The Center for Contemporary Arts.

KAY WOODWARD OLSON (Waco) - With multiple industry insight including retail business development, marketing and political campaign, Olson brings the professional flexibility to enhance the Trust’s success. Her contributions to the arts in Texas include co-founding the Austin Lyric Opera Guild and serving on the boards of both the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum Foundation and the Waco Symphony Association.

JUDITH LEA McCARTER ROBISON (El Paso) - Robison has served as President of the El Paso Symphony Board, the Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras and the Child Crisis Center Board. Robison currently chairs both the El Paso Symphony Foundation and the Leadership Development Committee on the YWCA El Paso Board.

PAMELA PITZER WILLEFORD (Co-Chair for Texas Medal of Arts, Austin) – Willeford serves as the Chair of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries and President of the Texas Exes. Willeford served as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Principality of Liechtenstein from October 2003 until May 2006. Before her term as ambassador, she chaired the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. She is a current member of the Secretary of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, the College for All Texans Foundation and the Greater Austin Crime Commission.

Organization	Program	Amount
Creative Kids	Art for Pediatric Oncology Patients	$30,000
Texas Commission on the Arts	Summer Reading Program	$40,000
Window on a Wider World	Black History Month Celebration	$8,200
Pollyanna Theatre Company	Midsummer Night's Dream Tour	$5,000
Texas Commission on the Arts	Symphony for Urban Youth	$30,000
UT Performing Arts Center	Performing Arts and Academic Collaborative	$16,800
Digital Media Council	Digital Filmmaking Institute	$5,000
Texas Music Office	Intermediate Masters Program	$10,000

Join Texas Women for the Arts 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.

The Texas Commission on the Arts recently submitted its FY 2010 – 2011 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) to the Legislative Budget Board. TCA’s LAR includes two exceptional items and reflects a goal of just under $1.00 in per capita funding for the arts.

TCA believes $1.00 in per capita funding is needed so that the State can continue to foster a positive business climate and insure a future creative workforce. Texas currently ranks 49th in per capita funding ($0.22) among all U.S. State Arts Agencies. The average per capita funding for State Arts Agencies is $1.18.

TCA’s Legislative Appropriations Request is an important step in the legislative process, because it serves as the starting point for budget deliberations and provides a fiscal expression of the agency’s priorities.

TCA has requested $20,000,000 in additional funds each year of the biennium to support investments through grants to arts and cultural organizations. The grants will be awarded based on a panel review system in two categories – Arts Create and Arts Respond.

Arts Create - $12,000,000 each year of the biennium
TCA grants will focus on operating support for arts and cultural organizations throughout the State. Advisory panels will convene every other year to review these two-year operational support grants, and the grants will be meritoriously awarded. Arts organizations will report on the status of their grant before receiving the second year of funding. By investing in these organizations, they can continue to contribute to the high quality of life that benefits business and the citizens of the State. By providing infrastructure support, the creative organizations can focus on economic development, cultural tourism, and quality of life issues. All grants awarded in this category must be matched 1:1, thus, generating private support, as well. This increased funding would result in much larger grants to organizations, allowing TCA to have a real and significant impact on the creative industries in Texas.

Arts Respond - $8,000,000 each year of the biennium
For the first time in its history, TCA grants will focus on project support that specifically reflects the State’s priorities: education (public and higher), health and human services, economic development (especially marketing/cultural districts and cultural tourism initiatives), public safety and criminal justice, and natural resources and agriculture (folk and traditional arts initiative). These categories will improve TCA’s ability to serve state-mandated requirements in the enabling legislation regarding rural counties and minority organizations.

Texas was recently ranked the #1 state for business with the largest number of Fortune 500 company headquarters. Although energy production will always be a large contributor to the Texas economy, the trend in economic development is shifting to a knowledge-based, service-oriented system. It is imperative that Texas is prepared to compete in this new global economy that relies heavily on a creative workforce.

Many creative organizations throughout the state provide arts and cultural services that expand far beyond the walls of a theater, concert hall, or museum. Through their efforts in education and community outreach, they contribute to positive solutions to the problematic issues facing the State. The creative industries in Texas are a direct link to providing and equipping a creative workforce for the 21st century, and it is foresightful and prudent for the State to invest in their efforts in these areas.

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

Texans for the Arts, the official arts advocacy organization for Texas, has outlined their agenda for the 2009 Legislative Session. Texans for the Arts will advocate for the development and implementation of statewide public policy that supports a strong and vibrant arts and cultural industry. Their legislative priorities for the 81st legislative session are:

Texans for the Arts will support other legislative actions that have a direct impact on the state’s arts industry. They have identified the following secondary priorities for their advocacy efforts:

The Texas Cultural Trust is proud to endorse the legislative agenda of Texans for the Arts. For information on how you can help in the efforts of Texans for the Arts, visit www.texansforthearts.com.

Every Texas student should receive:
• A well-balanced education
• Quality fine arts instruction
• Protected instructional time for arts education
• Opportunities to pursue their passion

The GoArts campaign is sponsored by the Texas Music Educators Association in conjunction with the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education (TCQAE), a coalition of over 25 organizations whose mission is to promote fine arts (music, art, theatre and dance) in our Texas Schools. TCQAE advocates for education policies, primarily at the state level, that ensure all Texas Students have opportunities to study music, art, theatre, and dance. They provide the public as well as policy makers with information about the many ways that arts education benefits our student and our state.

GoArts sends its supporters email updates about official action and proposals that may affect arts education opportunities for students in Texas schools. GoArts also provides information about the benefits of arts education and suggestions for how supporters can let elected officials and policy makers know they support quality arts education in our schools. You can help educate Texas’s decision makers about the importance of protecting fine arts education by registering your support at www.GoArts.org.

The Dallas Black Dance Academy Performance Ensemble, Bloom, performed in the Kwetu Fest “Peace Festival” August 27 through 31, 2008 in Kampala, Uganda. Bloom has been invited by Stephen Rwangyezi, co-star of the movie Last King of Scotland to perform at the Kwetu Fest. Bloom, the Dallas Black Dance Academy’s Performance Ensemble, comprises top level dance students, ages 11 to 15 years.

Kwetu Fest, organized by the Ndere Troupe, brings together groups and provides a forum to compare notes in the fields of cultural performances, entertainment and education. Bloom will perform on August 31 and will present an eclectic program full of modern, jazz, and hip hop works.

“This is truly an opportunity of a lifetime for our girls to be representing the Dallas Black Dance Theatre in a Festival that is targeted at promoting peace and well being,” says Founder/Artistic Director Ann Williams. “Kwetu means our home, our pride, our heritage and we are extremely proud of Bloom being invited to truly celebrate their heritage with the pride they reflect while performing,” explains Nycole Ray, Director for Bloom.

Dallas Black Dance Academy is the official school of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, training the next generation of dancers to be the best in the areas of Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, African and Praise Dance. Students that show exceptional performance skills are encouraged to audition for the school’s performing ensemble, Bloom. Dallas Black Dance Theatre celebrates 32 years as the oldest, continuously operating professional dance company in Dallas. Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, the mission of Dallas Black Dance Theatre is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. With an ever-expanding national and global audience, the company employs a diverse, multi-ethnic troupe of dancers performing for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, please visit www.dbdt.com.

Accomplished violinist Shannon Lee released her first CD this summer under the Telarc label featuring a recital of 19th and early 20th century composers. The recording showcases her "versatility and musicianship". Shannon also had her European debut last November performing with the Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been featured on NPR's From the Top and is a past recipient of the prestigious Davidson Fellows Award. Her mentor Jan Mark Sloman praises, "Shannon's artistic and musical growth has been nothing short of phenomenal."

Shannon has received the Young Masters grant for the past three summers. She has used her award to attend The Institute for Strings in Dallas and ENCORE School for Strings in Ohio. This summer she studied at the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing through the Starling Project Foundation. While in China she undertook private lessons and master classes and had numerous solo and chamber performance opportunities. She was also excited about seeing the different cultures and meeting international musicians.

To learn more about the Young Masters Program, click here.

In support of the vision to “create. connect. contribute”, strataTX has been finding ways to give back to the community. In late August, strataTX co-hosted a happy hour with Grounded in Music. Grounded in Music works with the Boys & Girls Club to expose kids to music starting in grades 4-12. Professional musicians come to the Clubs and give lessons on a variety of instruments, many of which have been generously donated. By exposing strataTX members to this great organization, Grounded in Music benefited by recruiting new volunteers.

To celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month, strataTX will co-host a Creative Conversation with the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division. Creative Conversations are local gatherings of emerging leaders coordinated by Americans for the Arts. This year’s Conversation will include a panel featuring Cookie Ruiz, Executive Director of Ballet Austin, and Jason Neulander, Founder and Former Executive Director of Salvage Vanguard Theater, to share their perspectives on arts leadership.

At the end of October, strataTX will join the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin. The LIVESTRONG Challenge is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's signature fundraising event inspired by hope, courage and the perseverance of Lance and the nearly 12 million Americans affected by cancer. strataTX has formed a team that will participate in the 5K run/walk on October 25th, uniting individuals to stand together to fight cancer.

To find out how you can “contribute” through strataTX, visit www.stratatx.org or email contact@stratatx.org.

Karen Oswalt and Pam Willeford, event Co-chairs, are busy planning the most exciting Texas Medal of Arts Awards in history. Be sure to mark your calendars for April 6 and 7, 2009. Thanks to our wonderful new venue, the Long Center for the Performing Arts, and our top-notch event management team, C3 Presents (Austin City Limits Festival and Lollapalooza), we will surely knock your socks off.

AT&T, Anheuser Busch, and Gulf States Toyota have already signed on as top-level sponsors for 2009 Texas Medal of Arts, and there are a number of sponsorship opportunities available. For sponsorship information, please visit our website at www.txculturaltrust.org/tmaa or contact Amy Barbee at abarbee@txculturaltrust.org. This is an event you do not want to miss!

Russell Shaw was hired to develop a communication plan for Create Texas. After combing through research reports and studies, scribbling on lots of post-it tablets with markers, and copious amounts of good ole creative brainstorming, a final plan is within reach.

The plan for Create Texas will “walk the talk” in that it strives to use innovative and creative methods for heightening awareness of how essential the arts are to education and the economy. New communication forums, such as text messaging and social networking sites, will be coupled with traditional media, such as print and outdoor, to inspire people to put your ART into it. The first components of the Create Texas campaign will be unveiled in early 2009. For information about Create Texas, please visit www.createtexas.org.