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History of the
Hill Country Arts Foundation |
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The Hill Country Arts Foundation (HCAF) is a
not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) educational
institution founded in 1958. Its mission
statement is, “To educate, enlighten and enrich
life in the surrounding communities.” The
foundation is located on a 13.5-acre site in
west Kerr County, in the town of Ingram, Texas.
It is situated at the confluence of the
Guadalupe River and Johnson Creek on a lovely
piece of land known as “The Point.”
When it was founded in 1958, the campus was and
still is, the only facility in the state of
Texas to feature both a Visual and Performing
Arts Centers. The Visual Arts Center is named in
part for Edith McAshan, who was instrumental in
the creation of HCAF. Edith and a group of like
minded Houstonians had a shared dream of a
cultural center in the hill country where they
spent their summers.
While on a drive, Edith spotted a “for sale”
sign on a piece of property which looked perfect
for her dream endeavor. However, her excitement
soon turned to disappointment when she learned
that the property had already been sold.
Undeterred, she approached local realtor, Herman
Sublett, and persuaded him to reject the
previous buyer’s offer and instead allow her to
lease the eleven and a half acres of property.
In return volunteers would repair and make much
needed improvements to existing buildings on the
site and create an art colony.
Located on the site in 1958 was an abandoned
roller-skating rink - built in the 1930s, a
restaurant known as the “Chic-Inn” and the
chimney of a burned-out house. In addition there
were several small cabins located on the bank of
Johnson Creek.
Volunteers were assembled to collect donations,
repair buildings and clear brush. They also
built a small theatre stage known as the “Red
Barn Theatre.” The theatre was located on the
riverbank of the Guadalupe to take advantage of
the evening breezes. The roller rink was soon
transformed into a pavilion for the arts. It
served as a multi-purpose classroom, exhibit
space, indoor theatre and community meeting
room. The restaurant served a variety of
purposes- in addition to dining; it also
functioned as costume shop and command center
for all the daily activities of the many
volunteers.
The summer of 1959 arrived with excitement and
anticipation – enough money had been raised to
purchase the property, and a charter had been
signed creating HCAF. That first summer offered
a full roster of activities-including arts
classes and the first theatre production,
“Stalag 17” on the outdoor stage. Co-signers of
the original charter included Mrs. Thelma
McKelvey, Mr. Alwyn Koehler and Mr. Charles S.
Clark all of Houston.
Don E. Bolen of Houston would serve as the first
General Director and Mrs. Thelma McKelvy was
elected as the first President of the Board. The
first board also included Mrs. George Broun and
Jasper Moore of Ingram as well as Mr. Koehler
and Mr. Clark. A separate advisory board
composed of twelve others included
representatives from Houston, San Antonio,
Cuero, Ingram and Dallas.
All of those involved agreed that HCAF’s first
summer season had been a success and the future
looked bright for the fledgling art colony.
However, in late October of 1959 the rain began
to fall and the river began to rise. Headlines
proclaimed “The worst flooding in 24 years!”
Some news reports proclaimed the Guadalupe River
rose 30 feet in 30 minutes. By the time the
river had receded it became apparent that little
remained of the newly built stage - only a few
cedar post footings.
Rather than quit in defeat, the destruction of
the stage served as a rallying point unifying
members in their determination to continue with
their cause. A melodrama “True Love in the
Hills, or will the Guadalupe Rise Tonight” was
presented with ticket sales helping to fund
construction of a new stage. The new stage
boasted a concrete foundation on ten foot piers
and the unique feature of side walls that
“opened” to allow the river to flow thru the
structure with out destroying it.
The 1960’s saw a steady growth in the attendance
of art classes and theater productions at HCAF.
A major emphasis was placed on offering summer
programs for children. Both children’s art
classes and children’s theater have been part of
the curriculum since HCAF’s inception. A unique
fund raiser during the middle years of the
decade was a tour of homes with the proceeds
benefitting the foundation.
In 1963 Texas Governor John Connally signed a
proclamation declaring June 22 “Hill Country
Arts Foundation Day.” In 1966 he again cited
HCAF with a plaque in recognition of the
foundations contributions in promoting the fine
arts. In 1969 the foundation celebrated its
tenth anniversary. A news article from the time
states that what had started as a dream and
$29,000 of indebtedness is now an asset to the
community and has an appraised value of
$250,000.
With the dawning of the 1970’s HCAF formed an
affiliation with Schreiner Institute which
allowed students to receive college credits when
they participated in theater labs at the Point.
In October of 1971 a Ladies Auxiliary was formed
to be a clearing house for fund raising events
with a particular emphasis on raising money for
youth scholarships to HCAF’s classes. The year
1971was also notable for the fact that the
foundation made the transition from offering
only summer programs to a year round curriculum.
The 1980’s saw a major expansion of the
facilities on the HCAF campus. A capital
improvements campaign was spearheaded by Kit
Werlein, which helped raise the funds to
construct the present outdoor amphitheatre-known
as the Smith-Ritch Point Theatre. The 722 seat
theatre is named for three generations of the
Ritch family who were donors to the project -
Vermeille Smith, her daughter Nancy Smith Ritch
and her grandson Andrew Ritch. Funds raised
during this capital campaign were also used to
establish HCAF’s Permanent Endowment Fund to
ensure the continuation and growth of the
institution.
The Art Depart was also expanded as a result of
the capital improvements campaign. Jeaneane
Duncan of Houston was a major donor in the
renovation of the art studios and construction
of the gallery. The Duncan-McAshan Visual Arts
Center was completed in 1984 and contains 1700
square feet of exhibit space. It is also home to
the Alice Naylor Library which was named in
honor of Mrs. Naylor, an artist and volunteer
who was a member of the advisory board from 1959
to 1963.The library was established in 1973 with
the acquisition of Alice’s collection of Art
books.
In 1989 an Arbor was constructed overlooking the
point where Johnson Creek joins the Guadalupe
River. It was dedicated at a 30th anniversary
celebration and named in honor of Barbara
Shoemaker and Sue Hovey, two artists who were
major contributors to the art department through
the years.
With the transformation of the campus complete,
the 1990’s saw a focus on expanding the scale
and quality of the programs offered by both the
theatre and art departments. In 1995 a week
–long intensive studies seminar was offered,
with art classes taught by Carole Barnes, Fran
Larsen, Katherine Chang Liu, Alex Powers and
Christopher Schink. The theatre department
staged large
productions with extensive cast under the
direction of Doug and Susan Ballantine and Jim
Wiseman.
With ending of one century and the start of a
new one HCAF looks forward to its continued role
in promoting the visual and performing arts.
“Art from Within” featuring works by inmates
from
the Dominguez Prison Unit was a new addition to
the exhibits offered by the Duncan – McAshan
Gallery. The Smith-Ritch Theatre continues to
focus on mounting new productions as soon as
they become available for licensing.
The HCAF campus now consist of the Smith-Ritch
outdoor amphitheatre, an indoor theatre, the
Duncan-McAshan Visual Arts Center, four art
studios and a ceramics studio. The campus also
has administration offices, a costume shop, a
scene shop, the Auxiliary’s Gift Shop and the
Country Kitchen. In 2005 an intimate gallery
known as The Creek Side Gallery was added as a
venue allowing artist to mount individual
exhibits.
In 2009, HCAF celebrated its Fiftieth
Anniversary of serving the Texas hill country
and surrounding communities. In November an
anniversary Gala was held to celebrate and
recognize those who have helped to create the
unique cultural achievement that we enjoy today.
We would like thank all those who have shared
and continue to share the dream started on the
piece of land known as the Point. Today, there
are still many opportunities for individuals to
share in the dream with HCAF. |
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