OVERVIEW

The Texas State Legislature designates Texas State Artists during each Legislative Session.  Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) manages the Texas State Artists nomination process. These positions, including state poet laureate, state musician classical, state musician, state two-dimensional artist and state three-dimensional artist, are one-year appointments. Appointees are selected for their years of excellence and dedicated commitment to the arts in Texas.

Texas State Artists represent the best of Texas’ rich and diverse artistic community.  These individuals inspire others through their unique creative expression. This designation is our state’s highest recognition for excellence in the arts.

In even-numbered years, a call is issued to the citizens of Texas to submit nominations in any of the four categories, and self-nominations are encouraged. Texas citizens may nominate more than one artist for this honor. TCA reviews all nominations and develops a list of finalists for submission to the Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician and State Artist Committee. The committee, composed of members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, makes the final selections. The Texas State Legislature officially designates the Texas State Artists during the Legislative Session.

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Current Texas State Artists

Learn more about the Current Texas State Artists selected for 2023-2024. 

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Nominations are now closed.

The nomination process is currently closed. The next nomination process will open in August 2024.

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For additional information about this program, please refer to the Texas State Artist FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For lists previous Texas State Artists, please see the sidebar menu.