Sunday, January 25, 2009

2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards


Keith Carter, Stocking, 2002



Two Texas artists will receive the 2009 Texas Medal of Arts Awards on April 7 in Austin, Robert Rauschenberg and Keith Carter.

Beaumont photographer Keith Carter and the late Port Arthur artist, Robert Rauschenberg will join past winners such as Walter Cronkite, Tommy Tune, Tommy Lee Jones, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. Carter was named recipient of both the Southeast Texas Arts Foundation 2009 Artist of the Year and the Cultural Arts Council of Houston 2009 Artist of the Year; he also recently discovered that Barack Obama has one of his photographs in his collection.

Carter, a musician, writer and photographer, had two reactions. The first was realizing he was would be in the company of Willie Nelson and Walter Cronkite. The second was realizing "They give it to you, apparently, when you get close to dying."

"All kidding aside," Carter added with a laugh, "I'm very, very pleased and appreciative when anybody pays attention to my work. In my small world, this is a pretty big deal."

Rauschenberg will posthumously receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.


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