The Ethel T. Drought Founders Award

Named for Ethel Tunstall Drought, the visionary who first gathered artists, collectors, and patrons in her San Antonio home in 1912 — a salon that grew into the San Antonio Art League itself — the Ethel T. Drought Founders Award honors Drought's legacy as founder and honorary life president of the organization. Presented annually, the award recognizes an individual or couple whose outstanding generosity and dedication have shaped San Antonio's cultural life, honoring patrons rather than practicing artists. Past honorees have included influential arts philanthropists whose support helped build the city's cultural institutions, including gallery patrons, museum benefactors, and longtime champions of the visual arts community.

The award is typically presented each spring at a festive reception — often a cocktail party at a distinctive San Antonio venue — that draws together the Art League's members, supporters, and friends to celebrate the honoree's contributions. It's a fitting tribute to the collaborative, community-driven spirit on which the Art League was built more than a century ago: while the Museum's exhibitions celebrate the artists themselves, the Drought Award celebrates the patrons and champions who make that work possible in the first place. For visitors, the annual reception offers a rare glimpse into the deep well of community support that keeps San Antonio's oldest arts organization thriving into its second century.

The Ethel T. Drought Founders Award for outstanding contribution to the Arts is awarded to an art patron in May. Previous recipients are:

• 2001 - Dorothy and Charles Katz

• 2002 - Edith McAllister

• 2003 - Walter Nold Mathis

• 2004 - Margaret Pace Willson and Linda Pace

• 2005 - Betty Lou and Larry Sheerin

• 2006 - Libba Barnes

• 2007 - Chris Hill

• 2008 - Marie and Hugh Halff

• 2009 - Dr. Ricardo & Harriett D. Romo

• 2010 - Ann Griffith Ash

• 2011 - Babs Baugh

• 2012 - Jane and Thomas Drought

• 2013 - Claire Golden

• 2014 - Mike Casey

• 2015 - Carol L. Karotkin

• 2016 - Dr. & Mrs. Dale Wood

• 2017 - Cappy and Suzy Lawton

• 2018 - Terry Gay Puckett and Val Alexander

• 2019 - Zelime and John Matthews

• 2020 - Nancy and Garry Fullerton

• 2021 - Paula Owen

• 2023 - Jane Bishop

• 2024 - Kathy and Lionel Sosa

2025 - Jill Wilson

2026 - William and Elizabeth Chiego