Texas Medal of Arts Awards Honors Dennis Quaid, Gary Clark Jr., Sandy Duncan and More

On February 26, the Long Center for the Performing Arts was buzzing with excitement as guests gathered for the the 12th biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards. A signature event from the Texas Cultural Trust, the prestigious event honored 10 Texas luminaries and organizations for their contributions to the arts.

This year’s honorees included:

• Dennis Quaid (Houston) for Film/Actor
• Gary Clark Jr. (Austin) for Music/Songwriter
• Richard Linklater (Houston/Huntsville) for Film/Director
• Sandy Duncan (New London) for Musical Theatre
• Terry Allen (Lubbock) for Multimedia
• Donald Moffett (San Antonio) for Visual Arts
• Elizabeth Crook (Austin) for Literary Arts
• Mercedes T. Bass (Fort Worth) for Arts Patron/Individual
• Moody Foundation (Galveston) for Arts Patron/Foundation
• Texas Music Educators Association for Arts Education

Co-chaired by Tania Schwartz and Mickey Klein, the celebration wrapped up with a glamorous red carpet reception, followed by the Awards Show and Gala Dinner. 

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Dennis and Laura Quaid

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Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima

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Bruce and Alethea Bugg Jr.

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Gary Clark Jr. and Nicole Trunfio

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Chris and Adrienne Williams Bosh, Linda and Steve LaMantia

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Chris Bosh, Adrienne Williams Bosh

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Chris Bosh, Heidi Marquez Smith and Adrienne Bosh

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Tanya Tucker, Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie

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Dennis Quaid

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Dr. Ernest and Sarah Butler

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Gene Jone, Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima

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Gilligan Stillwater and Billy Gibbons

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Richard Linklater

During the awards show, each honoree was recognized for their contributions to the arts in between performances by 2025 honorees Gary Clark Jr., Terry Allen and his family, Grammy Award-winning musician Ray Benson, actor Dennis Quaid, the Hays CISD Elementary Honor Choir, Leander ISD Mixed Choirs, Texas Young Masters dancers Adeline Dunlop, Jordan Apodaca and Tori Han, the World-renowned violinist and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Michael Shih, and 150-plus marching band musicians honoring the Texas Music Educators Association. 

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Billy Gibbons, Gary Clark Jr and Jimmie Vaughn

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Adeline Dunlap and Jordan Apodaca

RELATED: Catching Up with Gary Clark Jr. & Nicole Trunfio: Latest Career Highlights & Family Life in Austin