AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 11, 2015) – The Texas Cultural Trust has released the full schedule of events for the biennial 2015 Texas Medal of Arts Awards happening on Tuesday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 25 in Austin.
The star-studded Texas Medal of Arts Awards show, presented by AT&T, will take place on Wednesday, February 25 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, beginning with a Red Carpet Reception, presented by Anheuser Busch, at 5:30 p.m., and followed by the Awards show at 7:00 p.m. This year, the Awards, co-chaired by 2013 honorees Gene Jones and Charlotte Jones Anderson, will celebrate the following fifteen honorees who will join the prestigious list of award recipients including: T Bone Burnett for music; Jamie Foxx for film; Kilgore College Rangerettes for dance; Rick Lowe for visual arts; Dr Pepper Snapple Group for corporate arts patron; Margaret McDermott for individual arts patron; Emilio Nicolas, Sr. for multimedia; Dan Rather and Chandra Wilson for television; Charles Renfro for architecture; Robert Schenkkan for theatre; Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for arts education; Lawrence Wright for literary arts; Ruth Altshuler for the standing ovation award; and The Gatlin Brothers for lifetime achievement.
The Awards will be led by emcees Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, renowned anchors of FOX’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team. Special performances and presentations include previous Texas Medal of Arts honorees Ray Benson, Steve Miller, and Laura Bush, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, host of ABC’s “The Bachelor” Chris Harrison, and current honorees Jamie Foxx, the Gatlin Brothers, and the Kilgore College Rangerettes, as well as Texas Young Masters Ani Mayo and Amber Pickens. The evening will come to a memorable end with a gala dinner at 8:30 p.m., where guests will dine alongside Texas arts, business, legislative, and entertainment notables.
The series of events will begin with a VIP Legislative reception, presented by GMC, on Tuesday, February 24, where renowned
chefs Paul Qui of Austin, John Tesar of Dallas, and Ja’Nel Witt of Houston will be showcasing their culinary skills. The events will continue with the Stars of Texas Brunch returning to the Governor’s Mansion for the first time since 2007, hosted by First Lady Cecilia Abbott and presented by Texas Monthly on Wednesday, February 25.
In its eighth biennial year, the Texas Medal of Arts Awards have spotlighted Texas’ best talent in music, film, dance, visual arts, corporate, and individual arts patronage, multi-media, television, architecture, theatre, arts education, literary arts, and lifetime achievement. As the signature event for the Texas Cultural Trust, the Texas Medal of Arts Awards highlights and promotes the power of the arts to stimulate children’s education and the state’s economy as well as to preserve the unique and proud Texas culture.
The Awards have celebrated various influential and talented honorees including Eva Longoria, ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Barbara Smith Conrad, Tommy Lee Jones, Bob Schieffer, Debbie Allen, Robert Rodriguez, Walter Cronkite, Nancy B. Hamon, Sandra Cisneros, Robert Rauschenberg, Clint Black, Anheuser Busch Companies, Lyle Lovett, Texas Monthly, Robert Edsel, Neiman Marcus, and Exxon Mobil, among others.
Tickets to the Red Carpet Reception and Texas Medal of Arts Awards show are $100 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, please visit texasmedalofarts.org or call 512.478.5289.
