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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, Rick Lowe of Houston has been named the 2015 Texas |
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| 6 | 7 | | Medal of Arts honoree for Visual Arts by the Texas Cultural Trust; |
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| 7 | 8 | | and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The Texas Medal of Arts program pays tribute to |
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| 9 | 10 | | residents of the Lone Star State who have made significant |
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| 10 | 11 | | contributions to a variety of artistic disciplines in the state, |
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| 11 | 12 | | either through personal achievement or through generous support; |
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| 12 | 13 | | and |
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| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, A native of Alabama, Mr. Lowe attended Columbus |
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| 14 | 15 | | College in Georgia and subsequently studied visual arts at Texas |
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| 15 | 16 | | Southern University; in 1993, he cofounded the nonprofit Project |
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| 16 | 17 | | Row Houses, which brought together local artists and volunteers to |
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| 17 | 18 | | restore 22 dilapidated shotgun-style houses in Houston's historic |
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| 18 | 19 | | Third Ward and to transform that two-block site into an arts venue |
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| 19 | 20 | | and community support center; over the years, the scope of the |
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| 20 | 21 | | initiative has been dramatically expanded to provide youth arts |
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| 21 | 22 | | education programs, exhibition spaces and studio residences for |
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| 22 | 23 | | artists, housing for young mothers, and even an organic gardening |
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| 23 | 24 | | program; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, In addition to his achievements in his own |
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| 25 | 26 | | community, Mr. Lowe has helped establish arts-driven redevelopment |
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| 26 | 27 | | efforts in a number of other cities, including the Watts House |
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| 27 | 28 | | Project in Los Angeles, the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding |
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| 28 | 29 | | project Transforma in New Orleans, and a community market in |
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| 29 | 30 | | Dallas; he has also assisted with such community building efforts |
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| 30 | 31 | | as the Arts Plan for the Seattle Public Library, the Borough Project |
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| 31 | 32 | | for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, and the |
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| 32 | 33 | | Delray Beach Cultural Loop in Florida; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, The work of this world-renowned artist has been |
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| 34 | 35 | | exhibited in the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum of Fine |
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| 35 | 36 | | Arts in Houston, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the |
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| 36 | 37 | | Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, and the Venice Architecture |
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| 37 | 38 | | Biennale; appointed to the National Council on the Arts by |
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| 38 | 39 | | President Barack Obama in 2013, he also serves today as |
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| 39 | 40 | | artist-in-residence at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas and as |
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| 40 | 41 | | a Mel King Community Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of |
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| 41 | 42 | | Technology; in recognition of his visionary efforts, he was |
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| 42 | 43 | | selected as a 2014 MacArthur Fellow; and |
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| 43 | 44 | | WHEREAS, Rick Lowe has touched countless individuals through |
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| 44 | 45 | | his art and has used his extraordinary gifts to enhance the quality |
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| 45 | 46 | | of life in his community and in cities across the nation, and he is |
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| 46 | 47 | | most deserving of this prestigious accolade; now, therefore, be it |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Rick Lowe on his selection as the |
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| 49 | 50 | | 2015 Texas Medal of Arts honoree for Visual Arts by the Texas |
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| 50 | 51 | | Cultural Trust and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued |
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| 51 | 52 | | success; and, be it further |
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| 52 | 53 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 53 | 54 | | prepared for Mr. Lowe as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 54 | 55 | | House of Representatives. |
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