The stars at night are always bright here in Texas, but they were particularly brilliant in Austin last night as some of our biggest superstars gathered to receive the Texas Medal of Arts. The biennial ceremony recognizes extraordinary achievements in the arts, with recipients representing a diverse selection of Texas cities (from Austin to Brownsville, El Paso, Dallas, Houston, and beyond) and a wide range of mediums — film, fashion, music, choreography, literature, architecture, and more.
Taking place at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, the 2023 TMAA honorees walked the red (well, purple) carpet before the event — including Miranda Lambert, Luke Wilson, and Taylor Sheridan. Representing Austin were artist Deborah Roberts, as well as Juan Miró and Miguel Rivera of Miró Rivera Architects.
Emceed by Elliott Forrest, the evening included a special performances by Miranda Lambert, joined by Jack Ingram and Jon Randall for a selection of songs off their recent collaborative album, The Marfa Tapes. 2023 TMAA honoree Christopher Cross also performed, backed by the Barton Springs Orchestra; and previous TMAA honoree Ray Benson capped off the evening with a cover of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" for a special curtain call with the night's performers and honorees.
The full list of 2023 TMAA honorees is as follows:
- Miranda Lambert (Lindale) - Music/Songwriter
- Luke Wilson (Dallas) - Film/Actor
- Taylor Sheridan (Weatherford) - Film/Producer
- Christopher Cross (San Antonio) - Music
- Deborah Roberts (Austin) - Visual Arts
- Benjamin Alire Sáenz (El Paso) - Literary Arts
- Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine (Houston) - Arts/Health
- Juan Miró and Miguel Rivera (Austin) - Architecture
- Septime Webre (Brownsville) - Dance
- Lela Rose (Dallas) - Design
- In Memoriam: Carole Cook (Abilene) - Lifetime Achievement/Musical Theatre
Photo by Taylor Prinsen Photography
CEO of the Texas Cultural Trust, Heidi Marquez Smith.
Tancho Sushi offers affordable omakase.
Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi