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 sensation Yellowstone 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
Luke Wilson received the 2023 TMAA for achievement in film and acting.
