The nonprofit Texas Cultural Trust has announced the 2017 honorees for the biennial
Texas Medal of Arts Awards, to be held February 21-22 in Austin.
The event honors Texans that have made significant contributions to the arts with the Stars of Texas Brunch at the Governor’s Mansion and a star-studded awards show and gala dinner. The event also highlights the impact of the arts on the Texas economy and education system.
At a press conference held Wednesday morning at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, previous Texas Medal of Arts Award recipient and El Paso native Vikki Carr revealed the honorees.
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Vikki Carr and Texas Medal of Arts Awards 2017 honoree Lauren Anderson photographed by Miguel Angel
“I’m proud to be Texas born and bred,” she said. “The Texas Medal of Arts Award is really one of the most important awards I’ve received in my career … and I have received many. I’ve travelled all over the world and it’s like Dorothy said in
The Wizard of Oz: There’s no place like Texas … and home.”
This year’s Texas Medal of Arts Awards are co-chaired by former Spurs CEO Peter Holt and arts patron Guillermo Nicolas. Since their inception in 2001, Texas Medal of Arts Awards have honored 105 Texans.
The Texas Medal of Arts Awards 2017 honorees are:
John Paul and Eloise DeJoria (corporate patrons, Austin)
Kris Kristofferson (multimedia, Brownsville)
Jaclyn Smith (television, Houston)
Lynn Wyatt (Individual arts patron, Houston)
Lauren Anderson (dance, Houston)
Yolanda Adams (music, Houston)
Dallas Black Dance Theatre (arts education, Dallas)
Janine Turner (film, Euless)
Renée Elise Goldsberry (theater, Houston)
The Tobin Endowment (foundation patron, San Antonio)
Leo Villarreal (visual art, El Paso)
Frank Welch (architecture, Dallas)
John Phillip Santos (literary, San Antonio)
Scott Pelley (journalism, San Antonio)
Kenny Rogers (lifetime achievement, Houston)
