A collage of 10 years of Texas Standard arts stories

As we’ve been telling you for all of 2025, Texas Standard turned 10 this year. We’ve been celebrating in numerous ways, like taking the show on the road and airing your birthday wishes.

We have also combed through our decade of original content to highlight our favorites on topics including music and film – and on segments unique to Texas Standard, like the Typewriter Rodeo and commentaries from W.F. Strong.

This month, we’re highlighting Texas Standard’s top 10 art stories – excluding music, film or books since those are being represented in another list.

As always, some amazing stories are likely being left out, and putting these in top 10 order is futile, but here we go:

10. The official Texas play you’ve never heard of is turning 50

I dug into the archives to find this story I did way back in 2015 about the official play of Texas.

It’s called “Texas.” It’s kind of like the more-famous “Oklahoma,” except it’s about, well, Texas.

Full disclosure – my first journalism job was in Amarillo and I’ve seen “Texas” the musical in real life!

9. Why Texans are lining up to be ‘Mortified’

I co-produced this one with Filipa Rodrigues about a worldwide phenomenon that had made its way to Austin called “Mortified.” The idea is adults get up on stage to share their most embarrassing moments with a room full of strangers.

“It’s very cathartic in the sense that I am able to let go of a lot of those insecurities. You don’t realize you’re keeping those going as an adult and then when you just kind of give it up to the audience and they laugh with you it’s like, oh yeah, that’s ridiculous,” said “Mortified” participant Tony Napolillo.

More than a decade later, “Mortified” in Austin is still going strong. Clearly we all have no shortage of cringe-worthy moments.

8. This Texan makes jewelry that sparkles for the big screen. Sugar Gay Isber’s tips for you.

This one is from last year – but it seems like yesterday. The whole Texas Standard team fell in love with Central Texas jewelry artist Sugar Gay Isber. Her excitement talking about a necklace featured in a Richard Linklater film was just delightful.

“Well, I think I’ve always made interesting jewelry for interesting people, because it’s like that red purse effect when you’re wearing something wonderful, like, I don’t have great clothes, but I got good jewelry. So when you walk in, it becomes a conversation point,” Isber told us.

7. ‘You have to ask for help’: San Antonio nonprofit forges community for veterans through knife-making

Knifemaking might not be the first medium you think of when you think of art – but it certainly can be! In this story from 2023, former intern Molly-Jo Tilton introduced us to a nonprofit in San Antonio that teaches the craft as a way to help veterans.

6. This book club has been reading the same book for 12 years. They’re not even close to done.

This next one won’t fit the parameters of our upcoming best book interviews list, so we squeezed it in here. Reporter/producer Sean Saldaña’s headline even caught the eye of Stephen Colbert.

The book is “Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce – and they read just one page at a time.

5. A conversation with Kermit Oliver: Retired postal worker, family man, and world-class artist

Halfway through the list now – and we have another good one. It’s a conversation reporter/producer Michael Marks had with fine artist Kermit Oliver. He grew up in Refugio, spent his career as a postal worker, and in 2021 had a career retrospective of his beautiful painting at Art Center Waco – his current hometown.

“I say to myself, you did that? You were adequate, you know,” Oliver said. “That’s all I ever attempted to do, was to present an adequate image to the viewer. And I’m never satisfied because I don’t know really what conclusion I want to come to the work.”

4. ‘All The Way’ playwright Robert Schenkkan wins Tony for play on LBJ’s legacy

In 2013 – technically before Texas Standard was a show – we spoke with Pulizter Award-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan about his play “All The Way.” It tells the story of LBJ beginning at the moment he was sworn in as president on Air Force One.

The play originally starred actor Bryan Cranston and went on to win several big awards, including a Tony for best play.

3. Memories, the Southwestern environment underpin the work of ceramicist James C. Watkins

We’ve made it to our top three and these next two both feature officially-recognized state artists.

James C. Watkins was the 2023 Texas State 3D Visual Artist. In an interview, he opened up about the roots of his inspiration and how he came to incorporate the literal earth of his new hometown – Lubbock.

2. For ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate, poetry is a necessity

ire’ne lara silva was the 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate. Her poetry is inspired by her family, her dreams, and nature. She shared some of it with us.

1. ‘Soy de Tejas’ carves a space within the gallery scene to celebrate Latino artistry

And at number one – a beautiful feature story from reporter/producer Kristen Cabrera that highlights why it matters that San Antonio’s Centro de Artes makes intentional space for Latinos in the contemporary art world.

“Great for me to be able to bring these artists to my hometown. And for people of my hometown to be able to experience their work and see that there’s artists outside of San Antonio that are doing things that are relatable to us,” said ‘Soy de Tejas’ exhibition curator Rigoberto Luna.

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