Houston Energy Moguls Combine Forces In a $1.4 Million Night, Give Artists a Wyoming Ranch Retreat

What: The Ucross Gala

Where: POST Houston

PC Moment: The highlight of the Ucross Gala was the ceremony honoring Corby Robertson Jr., managing partner of Quintana Capital Group and chairman and CEO of Natural Resources Partners LP, with the Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership. His recognition was confirmation of the link between the arts and energy as imagined by the late Raymond Plank, co-founder and longtime CEO of Apache Corporation, one of the nation’s largest independent oil and gas companies.

“Corby’s career is a testament to bold leadership, strategic vision and a deep understanding of the natural resources that power our economy,” says Steve Farris,  the co-founder and principal of Forager Energy, a United States minerals and royalty company; former chairman and CEO of Apache Corporation; and former Ucross trustee. “Corby and his wife Barbara, have also been tremendously involved in many philanthropic efforts and programs in Texas and beyond in the areas of education, the arts, sports and with underprivileged children.

“It is truly an honor to be able to call Corby a friend.”

Plank launched the Ucross Foundation in 1983 ,which since that time has invited more than 3,000 artists to spend creative time at the 20,000-acre working cattle ranch in northern Wyoming near the Bighorn Mountains. Among them have been winners of Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards, National Book Awards and Academy Awards.

The evening, helmed by Cathy and Ucross chairman Jesse Marion and Steve and Vicki Farris, raised more than $1.4 million for the artists-in-residence program. Fellow committee members assisting were Ucross trustee Roger Plank with Connie Plank and Ucross trustee Christian Nelson and Dan Schroeder.

Entertainment featured former Ucross artists in residence, including a performance by Houston Ballet’s Ucross alumni Eric Best and Aoi Fujiwara, choreographed by Ucros alumn Jack Wolff. During the cocktail hour alumn Don Stinson of Austin worked on a painting while a silent auction exhibition featured artworks by Texan Ucross alumni Elizabeth Hohimer, Polly Lanning Sparrow and Lynda Kaffie Young, as well as another piece by Stinson.

“Ucross is committed to honoring the creative process of working artists,” Ucross president and executive director Caitlin Addlesperger says, invited everyone to imagine an artist’s experience at the ranch. “Now, maybe for the first time ever, your time is your own to dedicate to your work — your passion — exactly as you wish.

“Uninterrupted time, free from distractions, free from obligations, in the most beautiful landscape. This is why we’re here. And this is what we must sustain for future generations of artists and those who believe in the power of art and the creative spirit.”