Texas Medal of Arts honors TV, music, art
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From television and sports stars, to music and the finer arts, just about every color of the cultural rainbow turns out for the Medal of Arts, the biggest artistic honor given out by the state of Texas.
Corpus Christi native Eva Longoria shined bright as the one the elegant honorees,
accepting an award for her multimedia work behind the camera.
"I love producing and I love directing and I love creating opportunities for other women, for Latinos, whether it's stories or writing, it's just such and honor for me to be on the job creation side of that," said Longoria.
"The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison served as the event's Emcee.
"Arts are such a big part of our culture here in Texas and it's kind of interwoven with our history and it's fun to come celebrate that," Harrison said.
Naturally, the celebration includes music, with Dallas native Steve Miller honored for his
band's greatest hits.
"It feels pretty good. I don't usually wear medals but I'll wear it with pride," Miller said.
Honors for theater arts allow actors Joe Sears and Jaston Williams to take a bow for their decades of folk comedy plays set in Tuna, Texas.
"I've never missed a performance in 32 years. I had understudies who quit and said you won't let us go on and I say well they're not paying to see you," Sears said.
Athletics and the arts crossed paths with Jerry Jones and Emmitt Smith presenting to the Gene and Charlotte Jones. They're the mother daughter team honored for advancing the arts through charitable achievements.
"It's about the ladies tonight and the men are here to support," Smith said.
Support that goes along way in keeping Texas at the fore front of artistic frontier.