HUTTO – Hutto’s newly-formed nonprofit art council held its first official meeting Saturday, Jan. 7. Spearheaded by Mayor Mike Snyder, the Hutto Arts and Entertainment Commission’s objective is to foster a thriving art scene in Hutto and support local artists and entertainers.
The mayor said his role in the project was to help get it started, lend his organizational skill set to the group and then “step away and let the people who know art be the ones who do the art.”
While many cities have departments specifically dedicated to art and culture, Hutto does not.
“People kept bringing up that we ought to have an art scene,” Snyder said. “Too many times, people wait for government to do things for them, and I’m not a big government person, so I try to empower people to do things without government. I’m just excited to see where they go from here.”
At its first meeting, the commission appointed musician Perry Savard as president. Greg Ray, owner of Set In Stone Statuary, will serve as treasurer and sculptor Elizabeth Bonura is secretary.
Bonura, who is in the process of creating a gallery and studio scheduled to open in spring, is hoping that the commission leads to more artists having thriving careers in Hutto through networking and greater opportunities.
“Everybody in the art community is really excited about having a way to voice opinions about what we need. There’s lots of ideas and they need to be organized and prioritized, and a commission like this will help do that,” Bonura said.
Some of the ideas include the possibility of a centralized studio-type space for artists and entertainers to practice, record and produce their art. The commission also discussed the possibility of more public art, including festival events and a sculpture garden. Bonura has public art sculptures on display in Georgetown, Cedar Park and Bee Caves.
“I’d like to be able to see my work in my town,” she said. “Hutto artists create more than hippos and together we can share our talents to create a wonderful community.”
