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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the |
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2024 appointments for State Poet Laureate, State Musician, State |
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Two-Dimensional Artist, and State Three-Dimensional Artist; and |
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WHEREAS, The state's highest accolade for excellence in the |
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arts, the Texas State Artist designation is conferred on |
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individuals who represent the best of our rich and diverse artistic |
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community and who inspire others through their unique creative |
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expression; and |
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WHEREAS, Amanda Johnston, the 2024 State Poet Laureate, has |
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authored two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key, and a full-length |
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poetry collection, Another Way to Say Enter; named one of the "13 |
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Black Poets You Should Know" by the tech media platform Blavity, she |
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has been published in numerous online and print publications, as |
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well as in the anthologies Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of |
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African American Poetry and Women of Resistance: Poems for a New |
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Feminism; she is the former board president of Cave Canem |
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Foundation, a cofounder of Black Poets Speak Out, founder of Torch |
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Literary Arts, and a member of the Affrilachian Poets; her work has |
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earned her several fellowships, grants, and awards, and she has |
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facilitated creative writing workshops and served as a presenter at |
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universities and literary venues across the country; and |
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WHEREAS, The 2024 State Musician is Kelly Clarkson, who rose |
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to stardom as the winner of the debut season of American Idol and |
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has since gone on to captivate fans and critics alike with her |
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powerhouse vocals and down-to-earth charm; following her |
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chart-topping first album Thankful, her sophomore release, |
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Breakaway, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and |
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established her as a global sensation; she made subsequent forays |
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into rock, country, and R&B, demonstrating her versatility as a |
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recording artist while continuing to rack up hits, Grammy Awards, |
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and Grammy nominations; in recent years, she has become one of the |
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titans of daytime television as the host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, |
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and her work in television has also included stints as a coach on |
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The Voice and as cohost of American Song Contest; and |
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WHEREAS, Michael Ray Charles has been named the 2024 State |
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Two-Dimensional Artist; a contemporary painter, Mr. Charles |
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explores the enduring legacy of racial stereotypes in media through |
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challenging works that incorporate minstrel characters into |
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compositions resembling vintage advertisements; a Louisiana native |
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who now teaches at the University of Houston, he draws on his |
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studies in advertising design and illustration to create his unique |
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and subversive imagery, which has been exhibited at the Museum of |
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Modern Art in New York, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, |
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and the Austin Museum of Art, among other locations; his works have |
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received critical acclaim and have also been a source of |
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controversy, and in 2001, he was the subject of a short documentary |
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on the program Art in the Twenty-First Century; and |
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WHEREAS, The 2024 State Three-Dimensional Artist, Diana |
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Kersey, specializes in creating visually detailed architectural |
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ceramics for interior and exterior spaces; the Lubbock native has |
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been commissioned by the City of San Antonio, VIA Metropolitan |
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Transit, the San Antonio River Authority, and other entities to |
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craft colorful public art pieces featuring her translucent, earthy |
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glazes, and her body of work further encompasses a collection of |
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highly intricate and boldly designed vessels and platters; she |
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serves on the faculty of Northwest Vista College in San Antonio and |
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owns and operates Kersey Ceramics, LLC; and |
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WHEREAS, The artists who have been selected to hold these |
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prestigious posts have all greatly contributed to the vibrant |
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cultural life of the Lone Star State, and Texas is indeed fortunate |
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to be home to these talented individuals; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the 2024 Texas Commission on the |
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Arts honorees and extend to them sincere best wishes for continued |
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fulfillment in their creative endeavors. |