StrataTX: Texas Arts Nonprofit Debuts in Austin

Three weeks ago, Austin's newest arts organization, strataTX, launched with a successful kickoff gala at the Design Center of Austin. The latest giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust, strataTX brings together enthusiastic young professionals of all industries and backgrounds to help sustain and expand the Lone Star State's arts community.

Amidst heavy fanfare, TCT Deputy Director Jennifer Wijangco introduced the fledgling organization to a packed audience, promising that the evening's festivities—including engaging performances by National Poetry Slam finalists Team Neo Soul, 2004 Young Master violinist Charles Yang, and Yellow Tape Construction Co.—were but a sampling of strataTX's quarterly members events to come.

"Rather that just bringing in crowd-pleasing performances, it was important to showcase the variety, quality, and depth of the Austin arts scene," Wijangco later explained. "The performances at the kickoff party mirrored what we want strataTX to be: a bringing together of often disparate communities."

The Texas Cultural Trust, formed in 1993, is a statewide nonprofit responsible for raising funds from the private sector for organizations supported by Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) grants. In Austin alone, TCA grants support over fifty groups, whose backgrounds run the gamut from things you might normally associate with the "arts"—theatre (Hyde Park Theatre, Vortex Rep, Salvage Vanguard) and visual art (Arthouse, AMoA, Mexic-Arte)—to others you might not, such as film (AFS, Cine Las Americas) and writing programs (Writers' League of Texas). Additionally, the Texas Cultural Trust is responsible for organizing the biennial statewide Texas Medal of Arts Awards.

Two giving groups already exist within the Texas Cultural Trust: Founders for the Arts and Texas Women for the Arts. Neither, however, was an optimal match for the 25 to 40-year-old demographic.

"Both [existing] groups have a financial commitment of $1000 a year for three years," explained Wijangco. "While the impact of these two groups is great, they generally exclude younger Texans who want to support the arts and culture in a meaningful way. strataTX was created to address that need. And in wanting to be timely and relevant, strataTX expands its support beyond what is traditionally thought of as art to support creativity in all forms."

"StrataTX’s greatest strength is the purposeful recruitment of people from different backgrounds, all with the common denominator of supporting creative expression, whether that be on the stage of a performance hall or in the studio of a video game company."

Aside from special quarterly events, those who join strataTX can expect access to unique social and professional networking opportunities. An online community for exchanging ideas among strataTX members is expected to be launched in 2007. Annual membership is $125 for individuals, or $100 per person for groups of two or more, and may be paid annually, semi-annually, or quarterly.

[More Information on Joining strataTX]

Event Sponsors: Sony Online Entertainment, ETS Global Chauffeured Services, Big Night Catering, Brown Distributing, Downstairs Apparel, Southwest Airlines, Tito's Vodka, and Twin Liquors

Disclaimer: Austinist serves on the strataTX steering committee.