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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the |
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2015 appointments for the positions of State Poet Laureate, State |
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Musician, State Two-Dimensional Artist, and State |
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Three-Dimensional Artist; and |
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WHEREAS, The state's highest accolade for excellence in the |
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arts, designation as a Texas State Artist is conferred on those |
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individuals who represent the best of our rich and diverse artistic |
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community and who inspire others through their unique creative |
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expression; and |
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WHEREAS, The 2015 State Poet Laureate is San Antonio native |
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Carmen Tafolla, a prolific poet, storyteller, performance artist, |
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and motivational speaker who has earned critical acclaim for her |
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work; she has published more than 20 books and is one of the most |
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widely anthologized Latina writers today; chosen as the first Poet |
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Laureate of the City of San Antonio in 2012, she visited over 300 |
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schools, universities, professional conferences, and community |
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arts centers during the course of her two-year tenure; she has been |
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accorded a host of accolades, which include the coveted Americas |
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Award presented to her at the Library of Congress in 2010; and |
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WHEREAS, Legendary Austin-based guitarist Jimmie Vaughan is |
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this year's State Musician; as a founding member of The Fabulous |
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Thunderbirds, Vaughan helped spark the revival of blues music on |
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the pop charts with the release of eight albums and the success of |
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hits like "Tuff Enuff"; he received two Grammy nominations with the |
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band and later launched a solo career in 1994, gaining further |
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prominence in the realm of modern roots music; his masterful |
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playing, defined by vigor, authenticity, and originality, has |
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earned him the admiration of such icons as Eric Clapton and B. B. |
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King, and he was cited as the most formative influence on the career |
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of his younger brother, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan; and |
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WHEREAS, Vincent Valdez has been selected as the 2015 State |
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Two-Dimensional Artist; he was educated at the renowned Rhode |
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Island School of Design, and in 2004, a collection of his charcoal |
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drawings was shown at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, making |
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him the youngest artist, at age 26, to ever have a solo exhibition |
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there; his work is now widely featured at such venues as the Los |
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Angeles County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum; born and |
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raised in San Antonio, he currently serves as chair of the Drawing |
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and Painting Department at the Southwest School of Art; and |
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WHEREAS, Named the 2015 State Three-Dimensional Artist, |
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sculptor Margo Sawyer of Elgin studied in England at the Brighton |
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Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design and at the Chelsea School of |
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Art in London, before returning stateside to enroll in the Yale |
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University sculpture program; through her work, she explores the |
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concepts of space and transcendence, and she has recently |
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specialized in creating large-scale installations that reflect her |
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interest in architecture; she has been exhibited nationally and |
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internationally, and in addition to pursuing her artistic vision, |
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she is a professor of sculpture and studio art at The University of |
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Texas at Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, The artists who have been selected to hold these |
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prestigious posts have all greatly contributed to the vibrant |
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cultural life of the Lone Star State, and Texas is indeed fortunate |
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to be home to these talented individuals; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the 2015 Texas Commission on the |
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Arts honorees and extend to them sincere best wishes for continued |
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fulfillment in their creative endeavors. |