All in all, the Texas Medal of the Arts has matured into a dignified and honorable awards ceremony.
Joe Straus and David Dewhurst
Staged by the arts advocates at the Texas Cultural Trust, the show mirrors somewhat the Kennedy Honors and other hall of fame ceremonies. It starts grandly with a cocktail mixer outside the Long Center — ideal weather on Tuesday — where celebrities and politicos rub shoulders.
I caught Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and football and dance legend Emmett Smith grinning ear to ear nearby tycoon T. Boone Pickens. A few paces away, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst huddled with Speaker Joe Straus and AgCom Todd Staples.
Denise Bordas and Veronica Garcia
Inside a giant tent on the Long Center Terrace, more than 1,000 supped on Four Seasons catering. My table — turns out I was at the wrong one, but my gain! — was sponsored by the legal eagles at Baker Botts. Regulatory litigants gone wild!
I bonded with Austin lawyers Molly Cagle and Pam Giblin (air and water regulation). To my left was former personal aide to Gov. Rick Perry, now director of business development Clint Harp, a young man with a future. Too far away for me to engage easily was Rep. John Kuempel (Seguin), the bluff son of the late Rep. Edmund Kuempel, an Austin native known to everyone within a mile of the Capitol.
I winced slightly once inside Dell Hall. The sail-like decor looked like a craft project. Yet the rest of the show — including tribute videos — was slick and smart. Chris Harrison from “The Bachelor” made a smooth and surprisingly humble emcee.
Some wins, such as awards to James Surls, Big Thought, Kimbell Foundation, made plenty of sense. Others were confusing. Texas Monthly, which barely covers the traditional arts, won for corporate support, which it gives through advertising. Houston Ballet, the fourth largest in the country, surely deserved its award, but nobody mentioned the man who made it happen — Ben Stevenson. It would be like honoring Ballet Austin but not mentioning Stephen Mills after he left the company.
Guitarist and honoree Steve Miller played hotted-up versions of “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Abracadabra” with Ray Benson.
Highlight of the night for me: Joe Sears and Jaston Williams win Texas Medal of the Arts. Huge laughs! Williams on Sears: “We have an exquisite friendship.” But why bring out the astronomically overrated Art Guys?
Any awards show is a rollercoaster ride, to some extent, equal parts boring stretches and electric improvising. The Texas Medal has earned its place among the top such shows in town.