06/23/2026
HILL COUNTRY ARTS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECOVERY & REBUILD PROGRESS FOLLOWING JULY 2025 FLOOD
Coalition of Community Leaders, Donors, and Strategic Partners Unites to Restore and Strengthen One of Texas Hill Country’s Premier Cultural Institutions
INGRAM, Texas – June 16, 2026 – The Hill Country Arts Foundation (HCAF) is pleased to announce significant progress in its ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts following the devastating July 2025 flood that caused substantial damage to its Ingram, Texas campus. Despite the challenges of the past year, HCAF has maintained continuous operations, advanced key strategic partnerships, and positioned the organization for an ambitious and enduring future in arts education, performance, and community engagement.
The floodwaters that swept through the Guadalupe River corridor damaged theaters, studios, offices, technical equipment, and decades of accumulated resources, leaving millions of dollars in destruction across one of Texas’ most beloved cultural institutions. Yet the spirit of the HCAF endured. Through the determination of staff, volunteers, artists, donors, and community members, programs continued, performances found new stages, and the mission of bringing art to the Texas Hill Country never ceased.
The Hill Country Arts Foundation’s recovery is being driven by a broad and dedicated coalition - including volunteer board members, community leaders, regional advisors, consultants, donors, and strategic partners - whose collective commitment has ensured that foundation’s mission endures as a cultural landmark in Kerr County. Partners including the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, Tres Grace Family Foundation, and Kerr Together Long-Term Recovery Group have been instrumental in this effort, alongside many other area funding sources and collaborators. Physical reconstruction of core campus facilities - including restoration of the beloved 15+ acre Ingram campus and the iconic Point Theater - is progressing on schedule, with critical milestones reached in the first half of 2026. These milestones include a comprehensive plan for restoring and expanding performance spaces and instructional studios, while also
including new concepts for accommodating and expanding adult and youth programming.
Community partnerships and innovative programming have demonstrated throughout this past year that the arts are not confined to buildings - they live in the people who create, share, and experience them.
“This recovery belongs to our entire community,” said Paula Bishir-Jensen, Board
President of the Hill Country Arts Foundation. “What we have witnessed over the past eleven months is nothing short of extraordinary. Our board, our donors, our neighbors, and our partners have come together with remarkable resolve. We are not simply rebuilding what was lost – we are building something stronger, more resilient, and more capable of serving and promoting the arts in this region for generations to come.”
“While much of HCAF’s work over the past year has taken place behind the scenes,
significant progress has been made to position the organization for its next chapter,” said Crystn Hendrickson, Capital Campaign Co-Chair and Treasurer of the Hill Country Arts Foundation. “Over the past year, the Hill Country Arts Foundation has strengthened its advisory network, cultivated new programming partnerships, and developed a comprehensive long-range plan for both its facilities and future operations. We look forward to sharing more with the public later this year. Together, these efforts reflect HCAF’s commitment to honoring its sixty-seven-year legacy while building a strong and sustainable future for the arts in the Texas Hill Country.”
Donor support is instrumental throughout this process. Contributions of every scale - from major capital gifts to grassroots community fundraising - have provided both the financial foundation and the moral momentum necessary to sustain progress through a challenging recovery period. The Hill Country Arts Foundation extends its profound gratitude to every individual and organization that has invested in HCAF’s continued vitality. “As the Foundation looks to the next 50 years, we are gathering exciting new concepts on building a campus to meet the future needs of our community. While the damage we have
sustained is difficult to experience, we remain focused and energized about the
possibilities to create an even better campus, with strong programming to match,” said Sarah Tacey, Executive Director at the HCAF. “This is a generational opportunity. We are excited to be working hand in hand with Lake Flato (San Antonio) to honor the heritage of this organization as we double our efforts to welcome new experiences and participants. The future is bright on this stretch of the Guadalupe.”
The story of the Hill Country Arts Foundation is ultimately the story of a community that refused to surrender its cultural heart. The floods tested the institution in ways few could have imagined, but they also revealed the depth of public support for the arts in the Texas Hill Country. As remediation progresses into eventual reconstruction, HCAF remains committed to restoring its treasured campus while embracing opportunities to emerge stronger, more accessible, and more resilient than ever. Looking ahead, the Hill Country Arts Foundation envisions a future where theater, visual arts, education, and community
gatherings once again flourish along the banks of the Guadalupe River - a future built upon enhanced, multi-disciplinary arts programming within state-of-the-art facilities that honor both heritage and a deep sense of place.
The Foundation will be releasing a series of stakeholder spotlights in the coming months, sharing the stories of the diverse individuals and organizations whose dedication is making this recovery possible. Alongside these stories will be a recognition of the many devoted individuals that have come before us, and how their mark on arts in the Hill Country will endure through our efforts. These narratives will illuminate the depth and breadth of HCAF’s community and paints a vivid picture of what it means when an entire region rallies around its cultural heart.
To support HCAF’s rebuild and ongoing programming, visit https://www.hcaf.com/support-hcaf-and-donate or contact Executive Director Sarah Tacey directly at [email protected].
