Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) has announced the 2025 Texas Medal of Arts Awardees, including visual, performing, and literary artists, arts patrons, and more.
The Texas Medal of Arts Awards (TMAA) initiative was launched in 2001 as a biennial award to recognize Texas artists in categories such as visual arts, literary arts, music, musical theatre, film, multimedia, arts patron, and arts education. Recent past winners in the visual arts category include Deborah Roberts (2023), Trenton Doyle Hancock (2019), and Leo Villareal (2017).
In a press release, Heidi Marquez Smith, TXCT’s CEO, stated, “Texans have left an indelible mark on the arts and culture landscape, creating a legacy that inspires future generations. We are thrilled to celebrate these outstanding creative leaders at the 12th biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards, reinforcing the importance of supporting the arts and creative sectors.”
Donald Moffett. Photo by Cole Wilson
This year’s visual arts winner is Donald Moffett, a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores social and political issues such as the AIDS epidemic and climate change. Born in San Antonio, Mr. Moffett maintains residences in New York City and Barksdale, Texas.
Other notable awardees include Terry Allen, the musician and artist who was raised in Lubbock and lives in Santa Fe; Richard Linklater, the Oscar-nominated director and writer known for films such as Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Waking Life, and Boyhood; the Galveston-based Moody Foundation, which provides an array of grants and scholarships supporting the arts, among other disciplines; and Mercedes Bass, a Fort Worth-based philanthropist who recently donated $5 million to the Fort Worth Symphony and Orchestra. See the full list of awardees below.
Terry Allen remarked, “I was very surprised and appreciative to receive this year’s Texas Medal of Arts Award. To have my work acknowledged by the place I grew up is a true honor.”
Mercedes Bass shared, “I am very fortunate to have been able to immerse myself in my passion of music and the arts throughout my life. I am very honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts Award.”
Learn more about the TMAA, including the celebration that will take place at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in February 2025, via the TXCT website.
The 2025 Texas Medal of Arts Awardees
Visual Arts: Donald Moffett
Multimedia: Terry Allen
Music/Songwriter: Gary Clark Jr.
Musical Theatre: Sandy Duncan
Literary Arts: Elizabeth Crook
Film/Director: Richard Linklater
Film/Actor: Dennis Quaid
Arts Patron/Foundation: Moody Foundation
Arts Patron/Individual: Mercedes Bass
Arts Education: TX Music Educators Association
