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The Art of Business & Business of the Arts

A Conversation with Gay Gaddis Moderated by Tom Foster, Texas Monthly Editor-at-Large

Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 11 a.m. (CST)  
ONLINE / ZOOM

Did you know that the Arts and Culture Industry generates $6.1 billion of the Texas economy? Or that 1 in 15 Texans are employed in creative careers?

Business maven Gay Gaddisaccomplished entrepreneur, author, artist, and McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame award winner—has long championed the arts as a leader of the Texas Cultural Trust, member of Texas Women for the Arts, and Chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council. As founder of T3, an innovative advertising agency, Gay has employed thousands of artists, writers, photographers, and other creatives. Her teams have won countless national and international creative awards and recognition. Like other Texas luminaries in both the private and creative sectors, Gay understands how the arts play a critical role in our state’s economy, creating jobs, generating significant tax revenue, boosting tourism, attracting businesses, and revitalizing communities. And that’s just the start of it!

Join us for a virtual conversation and Q&A, moderated by Tom Foster, Texas Monthly Editor-at-Large, to discover what all Texans should know about the business of the arts and the art of business. A behind-the-scenes tour of Gay’s private art studio, gorgeous artwork, and gallery will follow this discussion with a portion of art sales benefiting the Texas Cultural Trust.

Join us for a virtual conversation and Q&A, moderated by Tom Foster, Texas Monthly Editor-at-Large, to discover what all Texans should know about the business of the arts and the art of business. A behind-the-scenes tour of Gay’s private art studio, gallery, and gorgeous artwork will follow this discussion.

We will discuss:  

  • Gay’s career and lessons learned as a trailblazer, innovator, and working artist; 
  • What the private sector can learn from the creative process, creative enterprises, and creative practitioners; 
  • The findings of the 2021 State of the Arts Report and why access to the arts should matter to Texas business leaders; and 
  • How the skills learned through the arts and creativity contribute to a strong, globally competitive workforce. 

Who should attend: Any individual or representative of an organization whose primary activity is producing products or services that employ culture or creativity to create wealth and jobs. If you are an arts supporter, business leader, artist, creative practitioner within any kind of business, a nonprofit arts/cultural organization employee (administrative or artistic), or running a creative business of any size, this conversation is for you! 

Free to attend with registration. A portion of art sales made between April 5-16 will benefit the Texas Cultural Trust. Click here to browse artwork by Gay Gaddis. 

For more information, email Kenneth Franco at kfranco@txculturaltrust.org.

About Gay Gaddis

FOUNDER. AUTHOR. ARTIST. TRAILBLAZER.
Gay Gaddis is the founder of T3, an innovative digital and marketing agency that rose to national prominence under her leadership for over 30 years, acquired by LRW Group in 2019. An active spokesperson, artist and writer, Gaddis is the celebrated author of Cowgirl Power: How to Kick Ass in Business & Life and is a regular contributor to Forbes and part of Fortune’s Powerful Women Insider Network. She has received numerous awards including the University of Texas McCombs School of Business “2020 Hall of Fame,” the “Liz Carpenter Lifetime Achievement Award,” Fast Company’s “Top 25 Women Business Builders,” Inc. Magazine’s “Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Year” and C200’s Luminary Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. Gaddis is the first female Chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council, former Chairman of The Committee of 200 (C200), immediate past board member for Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc. and is on the Board of Directors of the Texas Cultural Trust and Executive Committee member of The University of Texas’ alumni association Texas Exes. As an artist, Gaddis’ bold and vibrant paintings have been shown in several prestigious galleries around the country including a solo show at The Curator Gallery in New York City, featured in Paper Magazine and by Texas Monthly magazine naming Gaddis as one of the “Top Ten Artists to Collect Now.” Gaddis and her husband own and operate the Double Heart Ranch in the Texas Hill Country which houses Gay’s private art studio and gallery. For more information, visit gaygaddis.com.

Website: GayGaddis.com
Facebook: GayGaddisT3 
Twitter: GayGaddis
LinkedIn: GayGaddis
Instagram: GayGaddis 

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