The Texas Commission on the Arts designates Cultural Districts throughout the state as partnerships between a local governmental entity and nonprofit arts organization. In 2013, Smithville applied as a partnership between the City and the Lost Pines Artisans' Alliance (read the full Cultural District Application (PDF)). Smithville's Cultural District became the 25th designated district in Texas on September 5, 2013. The Richard D. Latham Cultural District and has been growing its programming ever since. This designation illustrates Smithville's welcoming attitude towards art and culture and opens the door to many funding opportunities.

Smithville's Cultural District is named for Richard D. Latham, a patron of the arts and community booster. Richard passed away on February 6, 2021. He lived his life in service of the community and in pursuit of a higher connection between people.

In the Fall of 2015, the Smithville City Council, Lost Pines Artisans' Association, and Cultural District Steering Committee adopted the Cultural District Business Plan (PDF) to set goals, highlight partnerships, and provide a framework for additional action items.

Your support helps to make it possible to do even more projects than the City, LPAA, or grant funds can do on their own. You can find a number of Cultural District campaigns for longstanding programs and for matching dollars for TCA Grant-funded projects at SeeMyLegacy, Smithville.

Richard D. Latham Cultural District Administration Structure

The Texas Commission on the Arts approved of a Liaison/Department organizational structure to best suit the needs for quick decision-making with regards to the many projects that the District oversees throughout the year. Currently, Jill Strube is the City Liaison for Cultural District, Jessica Ries is the LPAA Liaison, and Judy Bergeron is the Department Head where Cultural District sits at the City.

The Cultural District holds public meetings no less than twice each year in relation to the TCA Grant calendar to be best positioned to make decisions about what to request from them. Project ideas from the community are welcome at any time of the year, and are discussed at these public meetings in preparation for potential grant requests.

Agendas & Minutes

Smithville's Richard D. Latham Cultural District meets at least twice a year, generally in late spring and late fall.

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available as soon as possible after meetings. Meetings can be viewed at the City's YouTube channel.

• View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes
• "Idea File"

Longstanding Projects

Since 2013, a number of important culturally relevant projects have continued to enhance Arts Experiences in Smithville. Among them:

• Music in the Park. A partnership with the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce, Music in the Park takes place on Thursdays at 6PM-8PM during four-to-five weeks in spring. This program started as a Shop Local initiative, and many people who attend report that they do some additional shopping and especially dining either before or after the shows. As a way to enjoy the better evening temperatures in spring before things get too hot, Music in the Park offers another great way for people to relax and hang out at the Gazebo at the end of Main Street.
• Youth Banners. Since 2016, the best artwork has been chosen from Enrichment Days programming from Kindergarten through fifth grade and also in the Junior High Art Classes for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Students select 3 to 5 banners per grade (based on the number of classes per grade), which are used for banners that fly on Main Street and MLK Drive. The Texas Commission on the Arts supported the first Youth Banner program in 2016 and again in 2019 when SISD asked to add the Junior High Student artwork. The program represents a great partnership between several local organizations. Artists from the Lost Pines Artisans Alliance teach the Enrichment Days sessions and guide the young artists through the banner process. Smithville Education Foundation funds the Enrichment Days program. Keep Smithville Beautiful, a committee of the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce, partners in assisting with installation. The City of Smithville Community Engagement Coordinator manages the logistics of converting paintings into banners. Community members and corporate sponsors provide needed funding, rounding out the partnerships that make this a successful program every year, highlighting the creativity and artistry of our youngest community members.
• Sculpture on Main. In 2018, the Texas Commission on the Arts provided a grant to begin the Sculpture on Main program. This is an outdoor museum/gallery program designed to engage all people with fine art. Most years, regional sculptors submit entries to compete for space on the five pedestals located at each intersection between First Street and Loop 230 along Main Street. Some years, specific artists have been invited to show their work in Smithville. These sculptures are on loan from the artist -- they install the artwork by Thanksgiving and remove them in early November. Each year, an Artists' Reception is held at the Lost Pines Gallery at 206 Main Street during the Festival of Lights (first Saturday in December).

Smithville's Richard D. Latham Cultural District also supports a number of other projects and initiatives, such as the Smithville Music Festival and community-driven projects that are designed by local artists who lead each project, often with support through the Texas Commission on the Arts grant funding.

Current and Recent Projects

For more information and for current activities and scheduling info, go to the Cultural District FaceBook Page.

2025-26 Texas Commission on the Arts Grant-Funded Projects

Thanks to the TCA for funding this project!

Youth Storytelling and Illustration Program

The Cultural District has partnered with the Smithville Independent School District for a “Youth Storytelling and Illustration” program. This reflective, place-based creative literacy initiative invites Junior and Senior High students to become storytellers of their own stories in their own town through guided workshops on journaling, writing for an audience, and illustration. The approach will ensure accessibility and inclusivity while maintaining a clear focus on literacy, creativity, and narrative development.

2024-25 Texas Commission on the Arts Grant-Funded Projects

Thanks to TCA for funding the following projects!

Mary Nichols Art Center Renovations

The Cultural District is constantly working to improve the Mary Nichols Art Center (MNAC) to be a community space suitable for all kinds of activities. Groups that currently use MNAC include the Smithville Yarn Bombers, Playhouse Smithville, Songs of Smithville, and the Lost Pines Artisans' Alliance. The 2024-25 TCA grant project provides funds needed to paint and repair the second-story windows, to add a vent hood for the kiln, and a few other projects.

Cultural District Consultant

The TCA provided funds for the Smithville Cultural District to hire a consultant to help streamline and standardize projects and programs, focusing on the Smithville Empty Bowl Project and the Sculpture on Main program.

Theater in the Park

In June 2025, another terrific production will be held at the Gazebo at the end of Main Street. Playhouse Smithville's "Don’t You Mess with Texas, Texas Baby (A Recycled Musical)" is filled with characters: a troubling making rabbit, a friendly tortoise, a wise owl, a stressed dog, a clever coyote and many more.  It is a story of littering, picking up a mess, recycling and redemption. Here is a race to make things more Texas while we all sing and dance and laugh. In the run-up to the show, children in daycare centers, in home-school programs, and at the Smithville Primary and Elementary Schools received information from TCEQ to encourage them to be good stewards of the planet.

2023-24 Texas Commission on the Arts Grant-Funded Projects

Thanks to TCA for funding these community-led projects!

Nature of the Arts

Many thanks to the Texas Commission on the Arts for their support of the "Nature of the Arts" program. This project allows artists and local natural planting experts to work with the community on a mosaic and landscaping project that beautify the Mary Nichols Art Center at 301 Burleson Street.

Riverbend Park Postcard Mural

Junior High School students were asked to provide drawings that illustrate what Riverbend Park means to them. Those drawings were combined into fat letters spelling "Riverbend Park" and installed on a cement wall facing the parking lot at the first disc golf platform. A local artist compiled the drawings and created the background. It's now a popular selfie-stop for locals and visitors to the Park.

Dickens with (an Oliver) Twist

A Dickens-themed event was held in December 2023 to test for proof of concept. It was a great first year event, engaging both cos-play for traditional Dickens fans, as well as showcasing a more historical component of what actually might have happened in this area at that time, such as a Buffalo Soldier campsite and a gun fight.

2022-23 Texas Commission on the Arts Grant-Funded Projects

Many thanks to the Texas Commission on the Arts for funding these important community projects in Smithville.

Veterans Park Sculptures and Stories

The Smithville Veterans Memorial Park is a work in progress. Bill McGlaun, the sculptor who created the magnificent angel "Homeward", passed away before he created the eagle reliefs that were intended to top the informational plaques at the base. These funds allowed another local artist to take his original drawing as inspiration to create that section. These funds also paid in part to complete the "Soldier's Cross" sculpture that adorns the fountain. Additionally, the Smithville Public Library worked with a local storyteller who worked with veterans to help them tell their stories. On a beautiful early summer morning, three veterans told their stories in the Park. It was an incredibly moving experience.

Theater in the Park

In June 2023, Playhouse Smithville produced four shows of "Peter Pan" with the regular Playhouse actors and a bunch of local children, new to the acting experience. Families enjoyed the show tremendously.

Songs of Smithville

Smithville is home to many extremely talented musicians. TCA helped to fund the Songs of Smithville project (currently available on Spotify), which showcased the work of twelve of them. Funds were used to pay the musicians and producers, and to renovate a room on the second floor of the Mary Nichols Art Center into a studio space for local musicians.

2022-23 St. David's Foundation Grant-Funded Projects

Welcome Sign at Loop 230 & Hill Road

With funding from the St. David's Foundation, the City of Smithville, Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Keep Smithville Beautiful partnered to replace the Welcome sign at Loop 230 and Hill. Thanks to the many community members and local artists who made this a very special project!

Senior Banner Project

2021-22 Texas Commission on the Arts Grant-Funded Projects

Thanks to the Texas Commission on the arts for helping get our community through COVID.

Music in the Park

With COVID restrictions lifting, but uncertainty and fiscal austerity still running high, Smithville reached out to TCA to help support the Music in the Park series to offset losses in sponsorships. An important annual event since first receiving funds from TCA in 2018 as a pilot project, Music in the Park helps bring people together and solidifies Smithville's strong ties to our local musical talent.

Historic Smithville Coloring Book

In 2017, the City of Smithville received an "Our Town" placemaking grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. With that project, a mural showcasing the important people, events, and places in Smithville ("Smithville Possibilities" by Clover Cochran) was created. In 2021, the TCA provided grant funds to convert these images into a coloring book, which has since been distributed to all of the third graders at Smithville Independent School District for use during their local history unit to help bring these images and stories to life. A Teachers' Guide accompanies the coloring book for use in lesson planning. The original coloring book has been updated since 2021 for use in third grade classes every year.

Fitness Mural at the Smithville Community Clinic

Thanks to TCA, the Smithville Community Clinic sports a terrific new look, with an engaging and active "fitness mural" by local artist Judy Paul.

Richard D. Latham Obituary

Smithville’s Richard D. Latham Cultural District lost a major patron and namesake on February 6, 2021. Richard lived his life in service of the community and in pursuit of a higher connection between people. In 2017, when the Cultural District applied for the National Endowment for the Arts grant for its “Easy as ABC: Arts Bridging Community” program, he said “There is no Us or Them… There is only US!” This has been a mantra for the Cultural District since then, as it works towards seamless inclusivity to bring arts experiences and opportunities for all. Richard moved to the Smithville area in the mid-1990s, and worked diligently towards the possibility of public art projects throughout this part of Texas. As the Chair of the Lost Pines Artisans' Alliance, he instituted the “Art on a Stick” program, provided funding and guidance for the Fire Plug Art Project, supported many of the murals we enjoy today including the Steam Train at Loop 230 & Main and the mosaic at the Skate Park, and backed the Steam Train sculpture project and the 1911 Boiler Explosion Monument. His legacy lives on in these works of art throughout the community, and in his philosophy of the possibility of public art for all. He served on numerous other boards and committees as well, including the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Boys and Girls Club, and for all his work, he was the very deserving recipient of the 2011 Smithville Area Chamber Of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award.