TWA Champion of the Arts
Champion of the Arts Award
The Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award recognizes a Texas Women for the Arts member who has made significant contributions to the arts, statewide, and whose work has embodied the mission and vision of the organization.
Our 2022 Champion of the Arts: Leslie Blanton
Leslie Dyess Blanton has dedicated much of her life to supporting all areas of arts across Texas. She is a founding member of TWA, was its Chairman in 2019-2020 and will be again in 2022-2023. She is a long-time member of the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors, serving in various capacities including Board Chairman and Co-Chairman of the 2019 Texas Medal of the Arts Awards. She is the current Chairman of the Governing Council for the Shepherd Society of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Leslie is a member of the Liberal Arts Development Board and former member and Chairman of the Liberal Arts Advisory Council for UT, and serves on the National Leadership Board of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas. She has served on the Board of Directors of Americans for the Arts, as Chairman of the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Chairman of Young Audiences of Houston. Leslie has also served on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Museum of Houston and as a member of the Board of Houston Arts Alliance. Her many leadership positions also include serving as Board Chairman and Scholarship Chairman for the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Houston.