With just a couple of weeks to go before the legislative session ends, the 77th Texas State Legislature will today make appointments for the 2021 and 2022 positions of state poet laureate, state musician, state two-dimensional artist and state three-dimensional artist.
The Texas Commission on the Arts, which coordinates the honorific appointments, made the announcement today. The positions, created by SB 1043, are filled for one-year terms.
The 2021 appointees include Texas Poet Laureate Cyrus Cassells of Austin, Texas State Musician Leon Bridges of Fort Worth, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Annette Lawrence of Denton, and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk of San Antonio.
The 2022 appointees include Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez of Houston, Texas State Musician Eva Ybarra of San Antonio, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Celia Álvarez Muñoz of Arlington, and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist Jesse Lott of Houston.
“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.”
The eight appointees were selected by a legislative-appointed committee for the exceptional quality of their work and for their outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas.
Any Texas citizen can nominate an artist and self-nominations are encouraged. The next call for nominations will take place in the fall of 2022.
