Legendary Texans

3 North Texas superstars receive state's highest honor for achievement in the arts

The stars at night are always bright in Texas, but they were particularly brilliant in Austin on February 22 as some of the state's biggest superstars gathered to receive the 2023 Texas Medal of Arts.

Among them: Dallas-born actor Luke Wilson, Dallas fashion designer Lela Rose, and Weatherford's Taylor Sheridan, creator of TV's Yellowstone universe.

The biennial ceremony recognizes extraordinary achievements in the arts, with recipients representing a diverse selection of Texas cities and a range of mediums — film, fashion, music, choreography, literature, architecture, and more.

The 2023 TMAA honorees were:

Taylor Sheridan (Weatherford) - Film/Producer
Luke Wilson (Dallas) - Film/Actor
Lela Rose (Dallas) - Design
Miranda Lambert (Lindale) - Music/Songwriter
Christopher Cross (San Antonio) - Music
Deborah Roberts (Austin) - Visual Arts
Benjamin Alire Sáenz (El Paso) - Literary Arts
Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine (Houston) - Arts/Health
Juan Miró and Miguel Rivera (Austin) - Architecture
Septime Webre (Brownsville) - Dance
In Memoriam: Carole Cook (Abilene) - Lifetime Achievement/Musical Theatre

Held at Austin's Long Center for the Performing Arts, the 2023 TMAA honorees walked the red (well, purple) carpet before the event.

The ceremony, emceed by Elliott Forrest, included a special performances by Miranda Lambert, joined by Jack Ingram and Jon Randall for a selection of songs off their recent collaborative album, The Marfa Tapes.

2023 TMAA honoree Christopher Cross also performed, backed by the Barton Springs Orchestra; and previous TMAA honoree Ray Benson capped off the evening with a cover of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" for a special curtain call with the night's performers and honorees.

Wilson, who was born in Dallas and attended St. Mark's School of Texas, is best known his roles in films such as Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), My Dog Skip (2000), Legally Blonde (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Idiocracy (2006), You Kill Me (2007), The Skeleton Twins (2014), Meadowland (2015) and Brad's Status (2017); and on TV, for playing Casey Kelso on That '70s Show (2002–05), Levi Callow on Enlightened (2011–13) and Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. on Stargirl (2020–22).

Raised in Dallas, Rose's eponymous Lela Rose fashion collections are known for everything from impeccably crafted everyday separates to her sought-after wedding gowns.

Sheridan, of course, is the brains behind the TV sensationYellowstone and its acclaimed prequel 1883 (plus spinoffs 1923, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, and more). He's also creator of the hit series of Mayor of Kingstown and Oscar-nominated writer of the film Hell or High Water.

Sheridan attended Fort Worth's Paschal High School and lives with his wife, Nicole (a board member of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame), on a Bosque Ranch in Weatherford.

Photo by Taylor Prinsen Photography

Taylor Sheridan (on the red carpet with wife Nicole) received the 2023 TMAA for achievement in film and production.

Miranda Lambert Taylor Sheridan Texas Medal of Arts celebrities awards

Museum News

National Medal of Honor Museum offers preview at downtown Dallas event

AT&T

The AT&T Discovery District hosted a mobile museum pop-up.

A high-profile museum opening in 2025 offered a preview in downtown Dallas: It's The National Medal of Honor Museum, slated to open in Arlington, at Nolan Ryan Expressway and AT&T Way in the Stadium district in spring 2025.

To give folks a preview of coming attractions, the institution dispatched a mobile museum to make a visit to the AT&T Discovery District on November 20, during lunchtime when foot traffic is brisk.

Imagine the sense of wonder and amazement that downtown Dallas denizens must have felt upon the sight of a double decker bus, parked in the District, equipped with video and historical information about the Medal of Honor award, stories of the recipients, and a rendering of how the museum in Arlington will look.

The National Medal of Honor MuseumCourtesy rendering

The goal of The National Medal of Honor Museum is to inspire Americans by honoring and preserving the history of the highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.

They hope it will serve as a national landmark, illustrating the historical thread of sacrifice and patriotism that runs through all U.S. military service members, past and present.

Beyond its state-of-the-art, interactive experiences, a critical part of the Museum’s mission will be to use the stories of Medal of Honor recipients to inspire their fellow Americans.

It will incorporate the AT&T Virtual Recipient Theater, an augmented reality experience where visitors can interact with with Medal of Honor recipients. The space will be equipped with cutting-edge conversational AI technology complete with voice recognition to allow museum goers to have a conversation in a 3D format with medal of honor recipients living and past.

It will also have AT&T Branded Wi-Fi throughput the museum.

Interior of the mobile Medal of Honor Museum.AT&T