Austin poet Carrie Fountain and Project Row Houses founder and Macarthur Foundation “genius” winner grant Rick Lowe are among the eight Texas state artists for 2019 and 2020, the Texas Commission on the Arts today announced today.
The positions, created by SB 1043 of the 77th Legislature, are filled for one-year terms. Appointees will be formally announced through House and Senate Resolutions at the Capitol on March 25.
The eight appointees for 2019 and 2020 are:
- Little Joe Hernandez, 2019 Texas State Musician
- Carrie Fountain, 2019 Texas Poet Laureate
- Mary McCleary, 2019 Texas State Visual Artist, 2D
- Rick Lowe, 2019 Texas State Visual Artist, 3D
- Emily Gimble, 2020 Texas State Musician
- Emmy Pérez, 2020 Texas Poet Laureate
- Earlie Hudnall, Jr., 2020 Texas State Visual Artist, 2D
- Gabriel Dawe, 2020 Texas State Visual Artist, 3D
State artists are selected by a legislative-appointed committee. Any Texas citizen is able to nominate an artist in any of the four categories and self-nominations are encouraged. The TCA reviewed all nominations and developed a list of finalists.
The next call for nominations will take place in the fall of 2020.
Read: “The Writing Life: Carrie Fountain, On Tackling New Genres”
“In honoring these individuals we bring attention to the important role the arts play in shaping Texas’ cultural landscape,” said Gary Gibbs, executive director for the Texas Commission on the Arts. “These Texas State Artists are the best of the best. Their work defines our character of place and reflects the distinctive qualities that make Texas unique.”
