Aw, there are going to be some big heads floating around now that the DMA has officially released its 2012 award winners - ten big ol' heads, to be exact.
In a city like Dallas, that could get dangerous. So, to see just how worried we should be with the sudden influx of ego, we caught up with one of the recipients, emerging photographer Desiree Espada, who - come to think of it - is sounding a bit too humble for someone with such an impressive accolade.
Espada says, "It has been an absolutely tremendous feeling to be recognized by DMA's senior curator of contemporary art Jeffrey Grove, The Dallas Museum of Art staff, fellow artists, critics and patrons of the museum, in addition to my mentors and UNT professors Dornith Doherty and Paho Mann. The Awards to Artists program is such an important accomplishment for any young Texas artist, and I am proud to be a part of that legacy."
Then she giggles a little and adds, "That's a little formal. But, I just want the DMA to know how important this is to me."
We hope they do. Because - all jokes aside - art can be a cruel world for excellent artists without the funds or resources to bring their brilliant ideas into the cultural landscape. Each of the following awards, bestowed in honor of some of Dallas' most faithful arts patrons, extends an opportunity - both financial and emotional - to young regional artists in three age groups, allowing them to commit more fully to their craft and to expand their horizons through due recognition and encouragement.
Espada, for one, joins her close friend and collaborative partner Kasumi Chow, a 2011 Clare Hart DeGolyer Memorial Fund prize recipient, proving the pair's weight as one of the city's most quickly emerging creative dream teams. Go on, girl. Shake ya ass. You deserve it.
But, Espada and Chow aren't the only new names you ought to already know. Check out - and support - all your favorites below.
2012 Clare Hart DeGolyer Memorial Fund Award recipients: Rusty Ayrton Chapman Oscar Mejia Brandon Nichols Jacob Theriot
2012 Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund Award recipients: Katherine Colin Desiree Espada TJ Hunt Benjamin Terry
2012 Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant recipients: Erin Curtis Mike Osborne
Go on now, all you award winners. Shake ya bad asses. You earned it.
