It is the month of March, dear reader. Can you believe we’re already a quarter through the year? Was January just long? I know what it is. We’ve already had a full year of legends. The legendary women-identified creatives and professionals who represented a fraction of Austin’s Change Makers in January. The utterly iconic Nina Means for February. March is no exception.In fact, we named it so. This month, we’re honoring Austin Legends, women-identified folx inAustin’s ever-evolving arts scene who have broken barriers, changed the landscape of the Austin community and have paved the way for more inspirational creatives to follow in their wake. Though April showers bring the flowers in May, we’re handing them out early to women-identified creatives who aren’t celebrated and revered for the legends they are. Our cover woman, Nagavalli, is an undeniable giant on stage and even more of a looming figure in the arts community. While she has the stage presence of a Titan, she has a heart full of grace and an openness to the process of creation that allows her to always consider the needs of those around her. Hence her leadership roles at the Austin Arts Commission, the Austin ArtsCommission and EQ Austin. That heart to ensure that others get the respect they deserve extends to Lurleen Ladd and her Wavemakers organization. A legend in her own right, she has used her platform to ensure that other women-identified musicians 40 years old and older are also given their flowers, and the opportunities for success they deserve. Legends helping other legends is a superpower that we as women have in droves. Hence the Women in Pictures, highlighting some incredible women-identified artists who have truly shaped Austin’s artist landscape.
Each person within these pages has given their life for their crafts and enriching the Austin community. Another woman who deserves recognition is Dr. Beulah Agnes Curry-Jones. The East Austin Coalition and Women in Jazz paid their respects to the Professor Emerita of Fine Arts and former director of music in February, and I want to do the same here. Her contributions to Austin’s music scene are storied and monumental. The East Austin Coalition honored Curry-Jones with their annual Austin Cultural Icon Award, making her the second recipient of the distinction. What strikes me most about her is how great a source of wisdom and history she is. She’s able to remember with photographic accuracy every spot she’s performed, the clubs and theaters of her youth, the moments that defined her as an artist and educator. This legend has been a rock in Austin’s arts education community since the 1950s, and we speak her name while she’s still among us to hear it.Being legendary is so much more than having a name that people know and recognize. It’s about how you affect the people around you, leaning into your gifts and, most importantly, in whatever you do, you lead with integrity. Interested in more examples of what it means to be a legend? Well, dear reader, look in the mirror. Tell the person you see there that they are a legend, an icon, the moment. Tell that person, “You are a boss babe!
Cy White,
Managing Editor