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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the |
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| 6 | 7 | | 2015 appointments for the positions of State Poet Laureate, State |
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| 7 | 8 | | Musician, State Two-Dimensional Artist, and State |
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| 8 | 9 | | Three-Dimensional Artist; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, The state's highest accolade for excellence in the |
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| 10 | 11 | | arts, designation as a Texas State Artist is conferred on those |
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| 11 | 12 | | individuals who represent the best of our rich and diverse artistic |
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| 12 | 13 | | community and who inspire others through their unique creative |
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| 13 | 14 | | expression; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The 2015 State Poet Laureate is San Antonio native |
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| 15 | 16 | | Carmen Tafolla, a prolific poet, storyteller, performance artist, |
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| 16 | 17 | | and motivational speaker who has earned critical acclaim for her |
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| 17 | 18 | | work; she has published more than 20 books and is one of the most |
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| 18 | 19 | | widely anthologized Latina writers today; chosen as the first Poet |
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| 19 | 20 | | Laureate of the City of San Antonio in 2012, she visited over 300 |
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| 20 | 21 | | schools, universities, professional conferences, and community |
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| 21 | 22 | | arts centers during the course of her two-year tenure; she has been |
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| 22 | 23 | | accorded a host of accolades, which include the coveted Americas |
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| 23 | 24 | | Award presented to her at the Library of Congress in 2010; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Legendary Austin-based guitarist Jimmie Vaughan is |
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| 25 | 26 | | this year's State Musician; as a founding member of The Fabulous |
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| 26 | 27 | | Thunderbirds, Vaughan helped spark the revival of blues music on |
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| 27 | 28 | | the pop charts with the release of eight albums and the success of |
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| 28 | 29 | | hits like "Tuff Enuff"; he received two Grammy nominations with the |
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| 29 | 30 | | band and later launched a solo career in 1994, gaining further |
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| 30 | 31 | | prominence in the realm of modern roots music; his masterful |
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| 31 | 32 | | playing, defined by vigor, authenticity, and originality, has |
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| 32 | 33 | | earned him the admiration of such icons as Eric Clapton and B. B. |
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| 33 | 34 | | King, and he was cited as the most formative influence on the career |
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| 34 | 35 | | of his younger brother, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Vincent Valdez has been selected as the 2015 State |
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| 36 | 37 | | Two-Dimensional Artist; he was educated at the renowned Rhode |
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| 37 | 38 | | Island School of Design, and in 2004, a collection of his charcoal |
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| 38 | 39 | | drawings was shown at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, making |
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| 39 | 40 | | him the youngest artist, at age 26, to ever have a solo exhibition |
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| 40 | 41 | | there; his work is now widely featured at such venues as the Los |
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| 41 | 42 | | Angeles County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum; born and |
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| 42 | 43 | | raised in San Antonio, he currently serves as chair of the Drawing |
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| 43 | 44 | | and Painting Department at the Southwest School of Art; and |
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| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Named the 2015 State Three-Dimensional Artist, |
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| 45 | 46 | | sculptor Margo Sawyer of Elgin studied in England at the Brighton |
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| 46 | 47 | | Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design and at the Chelsea School of |
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| 47 | 48 | | Art in London, before returning stateside to enroll in the Yale |
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| 48 | 49 | | University sculpture program; through her work, she explores the |
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| 49 | 50 | | concepts of space and transcendence, and she has recently |
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| 50 | 51 | | specialized in creating large-scale installations that reflect her |
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| 51 | 52 | | interest in architecture; she has been exhibited nationally and |
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| 52 | 53 | | internationally, and in addition to pursuing her artistic vision, |
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| 53 | 54 | | she is a professor of sculpture and studio art at The University of |
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| 54 | 55 | | Texas at Austin; and |
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| 55 | 56 | | WHEREAS, The artists who have been selected to hold these |
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| 56 | 57 | | prestigious posts have all greatly contributed to the vibrant |
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| 57 | 58 | | cultural life of the Lone Star State, and Texas is indeed fortunate |
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| 58 | 59 | | to be home to these talented individuals; now, therefore, be it |
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| 59 | 60 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 60 | 61 | | Legislature hereby congratulate the 2015 Texas Commission on the |
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| 61 | 62 | | Arts honorees and extend to them sincere best wishes for continued |
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| 62 | 63 | | fulfillment in their creative endeavors. |
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