Musicians Miranda Lambert and Norah Jones, National Book Awards honoree Octavio Quintanilla among ten Texas artists appointed by State Legislature

Because you signed up for news specifically about the Texas State Artists process, TCA is sharing this with you!

The Texas State Legislature made appointments starting on Monday, May 26 to the positions of state poet laureate, state musician-classical, state musician-nonclassical, state two-dimensional artist and state three-dimensional artist. The positions, created by SB 1043 of the 77th Legislature and SB 281 of the 88th Legislature, are filled for one-year terms. The ten appointees for 2025 and 2026 were selected by a legislative-appointed committee for the exceptional quality of their work and for their outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas. 

The 2025 and 2026 appointees were formally announced through House Resolutions at the Capitol on Monday, May 26. The 2025 appointees include Texas Poet Laureate Octavio Quintanilla of San Antonio, Texas State Musician-Nonclassical Miranda Lambert, of Austin, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Angelbert Metoyer of Houston, and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist Steve Parker of Austin. Alecia Lawyer, of Houston, is the inaugural Texas State Musician-Classical. The 2026 appointees include Texas Poet Laureate Kevin Prufer of Houston, Texas State Musician-Nonclassical Norah Jones of Grapevine, Texas State Musician-Classical Ana Maria Martinez of Houston, Texas State Two-Dimensional Artist Letitia Huckaby of Benbrook, and Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist Linda Ridgway of Dallas. 

“It’s a pleasure to recognize the 2025-2026 State Artists for their official designations,” said State Representative Will Metcalf, Chairman of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. “The arts in Texas are extremely important to a vibrant and thriving state.” 

Each State Artist reflects the state’s diversity and high-quality artistic offerings. They must have attained the highest levels of excellence and success in their respective disciplines and earned a statewide, regional or national reputation for their high caliber work. 

Any Texas citizen was able to nominate an artist in any of the five categories, and self-nominations were encouraged. TCA reviewed all nominations and developed 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, made the final selections. The next call for nominations will take place in the fall of 2026. For more information on the Texas State Artists, please visit https://www.arts.texas.gov/initiatives/texas-state-artist/.

“In honoring these individuals, we bring attention to the important role the arts play in shaping Texas’ cultural landscape,” said Gary Gibbs, executive director for the Texas Commission on the Arts. “These Texas State Artists are the best of the best. Their work defines our character of place and reflects the distinctive qualities that make Texas unique.”

Please join us in congratulating these artists!

Photos: Miranda Lambert - James Macari; Alecia Lawyer - Daniel Ortiz; Octavio Quintanilla - Paris Quintanilla; Angelbert Metoyer - Ana Lavalle; Steve Parker - Courtesy Blanton Museum of Art; Norah Jones - Joelle Grace Taylor; Ana Maria Martinez - Ashkan Roayaee; Kevin Prufer - Wyatt McSpadden; Letitia Huckaby - Paul Leicht; Linda Ridgway - Teresa Rafidi.