SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 455

WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the 2019 appointments for the positions of State Poet Laureate, State Musician, State Two-Dimensional Artist, and State Three-Dimensional Artist; and

WHEREAS, The state's highest accolade for excellence in the arts, designation as a Texas State Artist is conferred on those individuals who represent the best of our rich and diverse artistic community and who inspire others through their unique creative expression; and

WHEREAS, The 2019 State Poet Laureate is Carrie Fountain, whose poems have been printed in Tin House, Poetry, and The New Yorker; she has published two poetry collections, Burn Lake, which won a National Poetry Series prize, and Instant Winner, as well as a novel, I'm Not Missing; she has also written a forthcoming children's book on poet W. S. Merwin; a native of New Mexico, she holds a master of fine arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin, and she currently serves as writer-in-residence at St. Edward's University and as host of the KUT radio show and podcast This Is Just to Say; and

WHEREAS, Known as the "King of the Brown Sound," Little Joe Hernandez of popular Tex-Mex band Little Joe y La Familia has been named the 2019 State Musician; this pioneering Tejano artist began his career at just 13 years old, when he joined his cousin's band, David Coronado & The Latinaires, as a guitarist; Mr. Hernandez and his band have received five Grammy Awards, including Best Tejano Album, Best Mexican-American Album, and Best Tejano Music Performance, and he continues to tour after more than six decades in the industry; and

WHEREAS, Mary McCleary, the 2019 State Two-Dimensional Artist, creates elaborate collages that incorporate themes drawn from science, history, religion, and literature; over the years, she has participated in exhibitions across the United States and in Mexico, Canada, and Russia, and her pieces have been collected by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the San Antonio Museum of Art, among others; she was named the 2011 Texas Artist of the Year by Art League Houston, and she is a Regents Professor of Art Emeritus at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she taught for three decades; and

WHEREAS, The 2019 State Three-Dimensional Artist is Houston resident Rick Lowe; his works have been exhibited at museums in the United States and abroad, and his "social sculptures" include the Anyang Public Art Program 2010 in Korea, the Victoria Square Project in Greece, and Project Row Houses in Houston, for which he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow; he has also been honored with a Rudy Bruner Award in Urban Excellence and the American Institute of Architects Keystone Award; he currently serves as a professor of art at the University of Houston; and

WHEREAS, The artists who have been selected to hold these prestigious posts have all greatly contributed to the vibrant cultural life of the Lone Star State, and Texas is indeed fortunate to be home to these talented individuals; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby congratulate the 2019 Texas Commission on the Arts honorees and extend to them sincere best wishes for continued fulfillment in their creative endeavors.

Menéndez

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 25, 2019.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate