It is our mission to promote and enhance the Arts in the
Texas Hill Country.
Proudly Serving the Counties of Kendall, Lampasas, Llano, Bexar, Comal, Atascosa, Frio, Gillespie, Hays, Kerr, Blanco and Burnet.
Our focus is to enhance community awareness, develop opportunities for involvement, encourage individual and corporate financial support, and develop a long range plan for promoting the growth of the Arts within the nineteen Hill Country counties of the Business Committee for the Arts, now known as The pARTnership Movement, a national committee of Americans for the Arts, recognizes businesses for their support of the Arts..
HCCArts and The Agricultural Heritage Museum became partners creating The AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center. Classes are held in Applied Arts, Fine Arts, as well as Blacksmithing, Dutch Oven Cooking. Through the generous grant from Majestic Ranch Arts Foundation, we now have a state-of-the-arts classroom.
The AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center
102 City Park Rd
Boerne, TX 78006
Our HistoryIn 2000, an ad hoc committee of culturally minded citizens and artists formed the Cibolo Arts Council under the guidance of then Boerne Mayor, Patrick Heath. The Council earned a 501c3 nonprofit designation in 2001. In 2009, the name was changed to “Hill Country Council for the Arts” (HCCArts) to better reflect its mission. The Council was also named the exclusive Hill Country Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) for 19 Texas counties by the highly esteemed Americans for the Arts organization.
The BCA designation encourages HCCArts partnerships with national businesses and organizations to enrich the lives of all who live in Kendall County and neighboring Hill Country communities. HCCArts continues to team with artists, organizations, businesses, and Hill Country cities to support and produce events that bring cultural vitality and economic benefit to the Hill Country. HCCArts developed a public art master plan for Boerne’s gateways and cityscape resulting in the City Council’s approval of an annual art budget and the 2015 initiation of Art Al Fresco, a program that will bring up to 10 pieces of public art to the city each year.
HCCArts continues today to support its arts partners and all the arts throughout the Texas Hill Country. It is the bulletin board for ‘art happenings’ in the region and its Calendar of events is the place to visit for updated news on arts entertainment.
Become an HCCArts Patron Donor and help us remain the central online resource for what’s happening in the arts in the Texas Hill Country.
As a loving and supporting patron of the Arts community, Hill Country Council for the Arts has played a significant role in sustaining the continuation of art education, events, and programs across the Texas Hill Country. In standing by our mission, we will continue to promote Arts enrichment throughout the following counties: Kendall, Lampasas, Llano, Bexar, Comal, Atascosa, Frio, Gillespie, Hays, Kerr, Blanco and Burnet counties.
The individuals that make it possible.
Our Directors
Paula Horner
Paula Brigham Horner received years of experience at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and the National World War II Museum, and served on the Board of Directors of A Studio in the Woods, a multi-disciplined artists’ haven, while pursuing an M.A., 2005, in Non-Profit Administration from the University of New Orleans. Horner found refuge at the Museum of Western Art, Kerrville, Texas, where she served as Curator, 2007-9, after arriving in San Antonio on the tail of Hurricane Katrina. Paula and her family currently own and operate Petland Boerne.
President
Heather Bateman
Heather Bateman is the owner and principal designer of Before Your Eyes Interiors, a full-service interior design firm, located on Main Street, Boerne, Texas. She serves in executive leadership roles with several local organizations, including as Secretary and Sponsorship Director for Das Festival of Kendall, where she helps celebrate the area’s heritage, while supporting community initiatives. Additionally, Heather serves on the Boerne High School Band Booster Board, and the Board of Directors for the Hill Country Council for the Arts, advocating for students, the arts, and the continued growth of the Boerne community.
Tia Johnson
Tia Johnson comes from a hotel management and office administration background, having graduated from Nicholls State University with a B.A. in Business Administration. Evacuating often from South Louisiana hurricanes, and Johnson’s family sheltering here on and off since 2008, were overjoyed to finally move to Boerne permanently in 2021. “I couldn’t be happier living here and being a part of this community. Boerne has so much to offer, and I am super excited to have a voice on the Arts Council Board, and be a part of its future.”
Tia is now a proud employee at Boerne City Hall. Next time you visit the campus, she is “the voice under the stairs that greets you when you walk in”.
Gwendolyn Hays
Treasurer
Kelly Leith
Arts Educator
Majestic Ranch Arts Foundation.
Board Secretary
Connie Clark
Connie Clark has been creating content for over 15 years, covering human-interest, the arts and city government. A native Texan, she wrote the "Boerne History" spots for Boerne Radio. She writes a column in Bulverde Spring Branch Highlights featuring history articles about Comal County. Connie was editor of Boerne Lifestyle Magazine. She proofreads and edits authors' manuscripts. Active in many organizations, she serves on multiple boards and specializes in writing grants for nonprofits.