Thomas Kurtz: Transcending the Boundaries

By Danny Maggs


This Capstone Project, “The Starving Artist: An Investigation into Multihyphenate Artistry” by Summer Resident Danny Maggs interrogates the concept of a “starving artist” and “true artistry” through literature review and interviews of multihyphenate artists. Through this capstone project, Danny creates and exhibits a profile for each of the artists interviewed, along with an artistic journey mapping of their artistry, and an analysis of the project’s main inquiries. Read the profiles for each artist here: Karla Estela Rivera, Thomas Kurtz, and Simon Phillips, and a complete overview of the project here.  

To Thomas Kurtz, the word “multihyphenate” does not necessarily mean someone who does a bunch of different things all at once. Rather, it is someone who takes skills from all parts of their life and career and incorporates them in a way that “transcends the boundaries.” Though Kurtz identifies primarily as an educator, his skills in education can cross over to his work in program management and project collaboration. His multihyphenate career was not necessarily his choice to begin with, though: “It was something that I felt like I needed to do to boost my resume…and then it grew into something that I really loved and found necessary to my wellbeing.”

In some perspectives, Kurtz says he’s viewed as someone who is paving the way for himself and his work, and some others may see him just as the person who was unable to get the full-time job. Whatever the perception is, though, he says the multihyphenate path feels more freeing to him than a traditional full-time, single job route. 

The benefits of a multihyphenate career show in his work. Kurtz is first and foremost an artist—as a saxophonist, all of his work is arts-informed. 

“If I can, like, just boil down like those foundational pillars that my musicianship was built on, it’s this freedom, this connection, and this community impact.”

All of his training in being a musician, Kurtz says, connects to his work as an educator—and tends to be applied simultaneously. Community impact is also a major objective in his work. Motivated by opportunities for social change, Kurtz’s projects take on his personal mission and are aligned with his values and guiding principles.

A project Kurtz cites as particularly significant, influential, and aligned with his values is No Broken Links. An online directory, No Broken Links serves to amplify the works of composers from underrepresented communities. He and Brandon Rumsey collaborate with artists, composers, and cultural arts professionals who identify with historically excluded communities, so as not to tokenize or assume identity. Their intention is not just to simply display their work and move on; a partnership is formed with those whose work they present. Kurtz remarks that safety is important—too many projects similar to No Broken Links assume identities without consulting those they’re representing, and thus expose these people to others who may wish them harm. 

Kurtz cites an experience he had with discrimination early on in his career, where he was told by supervisors that if his sexuality were to offend others enough to try and get him fired, there was nothing they could do to protect his job. It was painful for him—the position was one he had prized and enjoyed, but ultimately he knew he had to leave. 

“To be, you know, diluted in this way that left me so vulnerable and judged was not worth it.”

Kurtz moved forward into work that aligned with his values and principles, and found joy and success there. Another significant project he worked on was conducting research for the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division. Being used to doing primarily data driven research, Kurtz proposed that the research for Austin have an ethnographic component, with interviews asking residents their thoughts on the city’s changing cultural landscape. This push for qualitative knowledge was informed by his instincts as a performer to want to know what the audience is thinking, feeling, and wondering. 

“There’s something about connection and being with people that is so irreplaceable.”

Kurtz’s connecting identities and paths have served his goals in motivating change aligned with his values. Whether he’s researching, performing, or educating, he creates spaces for those around him to express themselves freely and break away from expectations, as he has been able to do for himself. His multihyphenate identity was shaped by stepping away from traditional uses of his degree. He did not follow what “people have paved for [him], explicitly or implicitly.” Freedom of expression, communication, relationship-building, and transcending the boundaries—Kurtz can do it all. 

 Explore Thomas Kurtz’s work: