Texas Cultural Trust Announces 2025 Texas Medal of Arts Awards on February 25 and 26

12th Biennial Event, Chaired by Mickey Klein of Austin and Tania Schwartz of El Paso, Spotlights Texan Leaders and Luminaries of the Arts

AUSTIN, TEXAS (Aug. 29, 2024) – Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) announced today the return of its signature and star-studded event, Texas Medal of Arts Awards (TMAA), on Tuesday, Feb. 25, and Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The 12th biennial TMAA will highlight the role the arts play in our lives and our communities while celebrating the creative excellence, exemplary talents and outstanding contributions made by Texans in selected disciplines.

The signature event will be held at various venues across Austin, including a private home and The Long Center for the Performing Arts. The 2025 event is chaired by TXCT board members Mickey Klein and Tania Schwartz. TXCT has selected The Panacea Collective, an Austin-based firm, to produce the upcoming fundraising event. Klein and Schwartz are distinguished leaders in their respective fields, known for their profound contributions to the arts, education and community service.

Klein, a University of Texas at Austin graduate, is deeply involved in the arts and education sectors in both Austin and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he divides his time. In addition to TXCT, Klein also holds board positions at the Blanton Museum of Art, Humanities Texas, the Briscoe Center for American History, the University of Texas Press, and the University of Texas Ambassadors Council. He has previously served on the SITE Santa Fe board of directors and as the chair of the board at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Additionally, he served as a member of the trustee boards for Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas; Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City; and Cate School in Carpinteria, California; and as the Chairman of the Board at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Chairman of the Board at Humanities Texas; Chairman of the Board at the Contemporary Austin. His philanthropic efforts have earned him several accolades, including Austin Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2013 with his wife, Jeanne. He has also received the Pro Bene Meritis Award from the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts, the University of Texas Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Anti-Defamation League Torch of Liberty Award. Schwartz, inspired by the power of the arts at a young age, has dedicated over 30 years to creating transformative learning environments through the arts. Leveraging her professional background as an instructional specialist,

Schwartz has contributed to the development of educational programming through civic-capacity building on behalf of the Schwartz Foundation and The Mesa Group, an investment firm with holdings in land, real estate and banking. Nominated by the Junior League of El Paso, Schwartz was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame by the El Paso Commission for Women in 2006. In 2023, she received El Paso Inc.’s Woman of Impact Award. Schwartz has served on the TXCT board of directors since 2007, chaired the nonprofit’s Texas Women for the Arts and served on the TMAA Honoree Selection and Planning committees.

“Serving as a co-chair for the 2025 Texas Medal of Arts Awards is truly a privilege, as art and education are the cornerstones of a vibrant, thriving community,” Klein said. “The honorees that our event has celebrated over the years are legends, representing the best of what our great state has to offer. Their contributions to the arts have impacted us all.”

“The arts have the unique ability to inspire, educate and unite communities,” Schwartz said. “Through serving on the TXCT board and art education initiatives, I’ve witnessed firsthand the profound impact that creative learning environments can have. I’m honored to co-chair the 2025 TMAA to showcase the accomplishments of Texas artists who are the results of our state’s arts programming.”

Since 2001, the awards have celebrated 129 Texas leaders and luminaries who achieved excellence through their creative talents, as well as those whose generosity opened doors to artistic opportunity for Texans of all ages. As the signature fundraising event for the TXCT, the two-day affair is a star-studded celebration that spotlights the power of the arts not only to improve children’s education, stimulate the economy and improve health and well-being, but also to keep us connected, engaged and inspired. It also preserves the unique and proud culture of Texas.

“The Texas Medal of Arts Award is the highest honor presented within the arts in Texas, recognizing creatives and arts patrons who have made a lasting impact on our state and beyond,” TXCT CEO Heidi Marquez Smith said. “These Texas legends have left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape, highlighting the importance of investing in the arts and creative industries. Our biennial celebration reminds us that Texas is more than just a place on the map; it is a reservoir of creativity, passion and artistic excellence.”

TXCT is proud to honor distinguished Texas artists and persons or organizations who have encouraged the advancement of the arts in Texas, whether through personal achievement or unfailing support. The awards have celebrated various influential and talented honorees, including Miranda Lambert, Taylor Sheridan, Luke Wilson, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Eva Longoria, ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Boz Scaggs, Dan Rather, Neiman Marcus, H-E-B, Anheuser-Busch, Margaret McDermott, Tommy Lee Jones, Bob Schieffer, Debbie Allen, Robert Rodriguez, Walter Cronkite, Lawrence Wright, Sandra Cisneros, Lyle Lovett, Texas Monthly, Ray Benson, Bill Wittliff, Gene Jones and Charlotte Jones Anderson, Craig Dykers and Elaine Molinar (Snøhetta), Brandon Maxwell, and Exxon Mobil, among others.

TXCT tapped The Panacea Collective to coordinate the 2025 TMAA, leaning on the event production company’s vast experience in event creation, design, production, marketing, ticketing and sponsorship acquisition. The Panacea Collective, founded and owned by Autumn Rich, is a 360-degree event production and experiential marketing firm producing events for hundreds of clients across all industries around the nation. Rich has produced several previous TMAA celebrations.

“The Panacea Collective is thrilled to collaborate with the Texas Cultural Trust once again on the 2025 Texas Medal of the Arts Awards,” Rich said. “As a team of creatives who are passionate about TXCT’s mission to emphasize the necessity of investing in the arts, we are excited to celebrate the Texas legends who continuously remind us of the role the arts play in our lives and our communities.”

The 2025 honorees will be announced this fall. For more information on the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, please visit txculturaltrust.org/what-we-do/texas-medal-of-arts-awards. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit txculturaltrust.org.

ABOUT TEXAS CULTURAL TRUST
Texas Cultural Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners, who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit txculturaltrust.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Giant Noise
tct@giantnoise.com