Lufkin celebrates inaugural art walk, strives to become Cultural Art District

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - There are 48 designated Cultural Art Districts in Texas, and Lufkin is making a push to become the 49th.

“There’s been a real push and movement here,” Vice President of the Lufkin Art Guild Aubrey Prunty said, “a lot of excitement built from this community for creativity and ways to connect.”

Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community vitality. These districts can become focal points for generating business, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride.

Lufkin hosted its inaugural Lufkin Creative event, the Lufkin Art Walk, on Jan. 28 to help make the push to become a Cultural Art District and to get signatures from the community to help make it happen.

Lufkin Art Walk Chair Becky Cota said being designated as a district will bring more life to the city.

“It puts us on the map, in a sense,” Cota said. “We will be featured in the State of Texas as a cultural arts district. Therefore, it’ll bring more people coming into the area to shop, have fun, to come visit.”

The art walk brings over 50 artists from Lufkin, Nacogdoches and everywhere in between to show off their art and bring the community together.

“We have so many beautiful artists in this area that capture the culture and life in Lufkin and East Texas,” Prunty said.

Visitors from all over Texas are participating, like George and Lauren Mayfield, who live near Dallas.

They’re making their way across the country to visit every national forest and stopped by Lufkin to participate in the art walk. Its theme was fitting for their journey: the art of nature.

“Dallas isn’t the only place where you have artist people and people that appreciate that art,” Geroge Mayfield said. “So, having that in Lufkin is great. I think that’s necessary.”

Lufkin Creative will submit their application in June to the Texas Commission on the Arts to become a Cultural Art District.

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