The Texas Young Master Class of 2016. Image via Texas Cultural Trust
The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) and the Texas Cultural Trust team up to offer financial packages to students in grades 8-11 to encourage their pursuit of advanced study in “the areas of visual arts, literary arts, music, theatre, dance, musical theater, folk arts, and media arts.” The biennial program, launched in 2002, is called Texas Young Masters, and applications for the class of 2020 are now open.
Via the TCA: “The state’s most talented young artists will receive the esteemed ‘Texas Young Master’ title and be awarded grants of $5,000 per year for two years to advance their studies in the discipline of their respective arts discipline. To date, TCA and Texas Cultural Trust have named 154 Young Masters, awarding nearly $1 million to exceptionally talented young Texans.” The grants are not scholarships, but rather are financial awards for students who are serious about furthering their studies in their chosen arts disciplines.
Applications can be submitted by students, their parents or guardians, or their arts instructors. “Students are to receive the grant for up to two years, but they must submit a plan for study annually. Students must be participating in a school-based arts program, summer institute, a specialized course of study, or receiving private lessons from a qualified instructor. Students must maintain passing grades in all academic areas.”
The initiative is part of a TCA and Texas Cultural Trust’s joint mission to “advance the creative economy of Texas by investing in the future of the arts.”
The deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. To apply, please go here.
