We met the talented 2026 class of Young Masters last month at the Capitol, and we can't wait to see what they do next! Scroll down for more details! 

The Texas Commission on the Arts is assessing the quality of its customer service. Please take a few minutes to complete our online survey. We plan to use the information gathered through this survey to refine our services and help the Legislature understand the scope and quality of our work. Through this process, we hope to better serve you and the arts industry in Texas!

Your feedback on this survey is of tremendous importance. Please complete the online survey no later than May 22, 2026. To get to the online survey, use this link. Thank you for sharing your time and viewpoint with us.

TCA has a few upcoming application deadlines. As always, the TCA staff is happy to discuss your goals and eligibility to determine which programs are right for you. You may also request that a TCA staff member review your application and provide feedback. Ideally, these draft review requests would be made at least two weeks before the application deadline.

Designation Program: Cultural District Designation

This program designates special zones in Texas cities and communities that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization.

Application deadline: Letter of intent to apply due February 2; application due June 15

Application form: On Cultural Districts Program page

Resources: Program guidelines, contact TCA staff

Grant Program: Cultural District Projects

This program is designed for projects that focus on significant cultural tourism projects happening in a designated cultural district, by established arts organizations that are based in the cultural district and authorized to apply by their cultural district's managing entity.

Activity dates must occur: Between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027

Application deadline: Midnight on June 15, 2026

Application form: Online now for eligible organizations

Resources: Grant guidelines, contact TCA staff

The Texas Cultural Trust celebrated the 2026 class of Young Masters during an awards ceremony and concert on April 13 at Austin's ZACH Theater. The evening featured Ray Benson, Lauren Anderson, Elizabeth Crook, Trevor Scott, and Texas Young Masters alumni. Earlier in the day, TCA staff conducted a welcome and orientation for the 2026 class of Young Masters at the Texas Capitol.

The Young Masters program is a joint initiative of the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) and is generously supported by the Butler Texas Young Masters Endowment. The grant program provides exemplary art students in grades 8-11 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, musical theater, folk & traditional arts, and media arts. This year’s promising young students come from 12 cities and together display a variety of artistic talents.

The state’s most talented young artists receive the title of “Young Master” and are awarded grants of $5,000 per year to further their studies in their chosen arts disciplines. Students are eligible to receive the grant for two years. This gifted group of 15 students represents the thirteenth class of Young Masters. Since the program’s inception in 2002, the TXCT and TCA have named 214 Young Masters, awarding over $1.3 million to aspiring artists from across the state. The Young Masters were selected by a citizen panel of experts from across the state based on artistic excellence, level of commitment and quality of their proposed plan of action.

In order to be considered for the Young Masters grant, students must be legal U.S. residents living in Texas and participating in a school-based program, a summer institute, a specialized course of study, or receiving private lessons from a qualified professional instructor. They must also maintain passing grades in all academic areas. Young Masters are selected by a citizen panel of experts from across the state based on artistic excellence, level of commitment and quality of their proposed plan of action.

Each year, TCA invites roughly 200 Texans to serve as peer reviewers of the grant applications we receive. We are grateful to these members of our arts field who donate their time and knowledge to our panel review process and assess the quality of grant applications. The peer review process is central to the Commission’s efforts to maintain an accountable, accessible awards system for the State of Texas.

If you would like insight into the grant evaluation process, we invite you to nominate yourself to serve on a panel. TCA is not able to pay for this work, but it will allow you to gain experience as a grant evaluator, see how other organizations present their programs and challenges, and ensure that TCA grant decisions can be made—we really can’t do this without you. Nominations are accepted year-round and can be made here.

Panels can be held online or in person in Austin. TCA reimburses for travel and hotel costs for in-person meetings. For online panels, TCA assigns reviewers no more than 25 grant applications to help keep the workload reasonable. Evaluators can also be grant applicants—TCA excludes evaluators from reviewing and scoring an application that they submitted or have any other conflict of interest with.

TCA’s chic black-and-silver State of the Arts minimalist design license plate is available to order at https://www.myplates.com/go/arts. This plate design can go on a passenger car, motorcycle, trailer, or private bus (attention, Texas bands!). TCA will receive a portion of the sales of the plate. Note that this plate is part of MyPlates’ “Lone Star Series,” but only the State of the Arts plate supports TCA. There is a price break for those ordering their plate for multiple years. Make a long-term commitment to the arts!  

In our continuing efforts to provide more quality performances and arts opportunities to rural areas of the state, TCA has selected five Texas Touring Roster artists and groups to provide free performances in rural counties during the spring. Each artist or group provides five performances in an assigned area, and the performances are hosted by local nonprofits, units of government, or schools. TCA pays each artist a flat fee for the performances directly, eliminating costs to host organizations. Hosts are reminded that any Texas nonprofit or unit of government, including a school or library, is eligible to apply for a Performance Support grant for up to half of a Texas Touring Roster artist’s fee.

This month, we are excited to share news about recent and upcoming performances in Kleberg, Wharton, Bosque, Erath, Jasper, Newton, and Sabine counties.

Students and community members enjoyed visits with renowned band Del Castillo at Texas A&M Kingsville on April 9 and at Kingsville's Santa Gertrudis Academy High School the next day. Del Castillo has become a symbol of the cross-cultural power of music with their eclectic blend of flamenco, rock, Latin, blues, and world music. Audiences learned about and experienced their unique sound through workshops and performances.

Bosque County audiences are invited to celebrate Mother's Day at Clifton's Bosque Arts Center on May 10 at 2 PM with accordionist and trumpet player Alex Meixner.

Erath County residents can enjoy his family-friendly world music presentation at the Dublin Public Library on May 19 at 1 PM. Alex is known for his seamless transitions from traditional folk to unexpected covers, bringing polka music to new audiences with high energy and charisma.

Nia's Daughters Movement Collective will be in Wharton County on May 15 to host an 11 AM Seniors in Action Workshop at New Hope Community Church in Wharton. Nia's Daughters Movement Collective is a congressionally recognized, multigenerational dance group of like-minded Black women dance and multidisciplinary artists. Their mission is to create and support art and wellness initiatives through the lens of Black women and girls. 

Mr. Will/Will and the Wilderness will be visiting Jasper, Newton, and Sabine counties May 17-19. Will Dupuy has energized crowds for two decades performing as Mr. Will for young audiences, and country music sets for the young-at-heart as Will and the Wilderness. Themes of Texas and conservation run throughout his music. Sabine County residents can enjoy a solo Will and the Wilderness show at 3 PM on May 17 at Hemphill Little Theatre in Hemphill. Students at Brookeland Elementary in Jasper County will enjoy performances by Mr. Will on May 18. On May 19, Mr. Will will perform at the Newton Public Library in Newton County at 10 AM, and at the Kirbyville Public Library in Jasper County at 1 PM. 

If you are local to any of these venues, we hope you’ll enjoy these free performances! We’ll have summer performances to share in our June newsletter. Special thanks to the fantastic artists conducting rural tours on behalf of TCA and to their host organizations.



Photos: Del Castillo by Mark Del Castillo; Alex Meixner by Speedbump Media; Nia's Daughters Movement Collective by Keda Sharber of Images by Papillion; Mr. Will by Nicola Gell.

San Antonio’s Belen Escobedo was recently named one of the 2026 National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Including the 2026 class, the Arts Endowment has awarded 502 National Heritage Fellowships since 1982, recognizing artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms. Each Heritage Fellowship includes a $25,000 award and the recipients will be honored in Washington, DC in fall 2026.

In the announcement, the NEA noted that “Belen Escobedo performs early Mexican and Tejano fiddle tunes once common across South Texas. Through decades on stage and in the classroom, she has helped keep this rare style alive.” We congratulate Ms. Escobedo on this recognition for her important work.

Photo: Ramón Gutiérrez

Texas Commission on the Arts

1801 Congress Avenue

Austin, TX 78701

512-463-5535

800-252-9415

arts.texas.gov