Alissa McCain will receive the Cindi Lazzari Artist Advocate Award from the State Bar of Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Section, or TESLAW, on November 20 at the 29th annual Entertainment Law Institute at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel.
For 20 years, McCain has done groundbreaking artist advocacy work focused on the success and advancement of artists. Through her work at Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts during the past seven years, she has provided pro bono legal counsel to artists statewide and to events and programs in all major Texas cities.
McCain is a founding board member of Capitol View Arts—remaining on the board since its inception—and, as a member of the Austin Arts Commission, helped rework the funding metrics used to provide the city of Austin grant money to help smaller organizations receive their fair share of funds.
She has also worked as a commissioner on the Austin Arts Commission, a consultant and contributing writer to the Austin Music Census, chief operating officer of the Austin Creative Alliance, and director of programs and operations for the Austin Music Foundation.
McCain’s background embodies the Lazzari Award, which is named for the late Cindi Lazzari, a Texas attorney who advocated protecting the rights of artists in the music industry. TESLAW honors those who similarly carry on the tradition of Lazzari’s work.