WHY WE WORK
Modern life pulls people in more directions than they can track. Schedules crowd out attention, and most folks spend less time noticing their places and the people and creatures they share them with. The Hill Country is under its own pressure—rapid growth, drought, overuse, and decisions made too quickly to account for long-term impacts on land, water, and community life. When people lose track of their surroundings, judgment slips and problems stay hidden until they’re too large to ignore. La Cuna exists to rebuild those relationships. Through creative collaboration and interdisciplinary work, we help surface clearer ways of living—approaches that strengthen ecological resilience while making daily life more thoughtful, connected, and workable.
WHAT WE DO
We work to create experiences that help people adopt better ways of living with their places.
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COMMISSIONED WORK & RESIDENCIES
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EXHIBITIONS
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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
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PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
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PLACE-BASED EXPERIENCES
HOW WE WORK
LEARN
Learn from place through local knowledge, research, observation, and lived experience.
CREATE
Develop responses through art, design, architecture, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
SHARE
Make ideas accessible through exhibitions, publications, films, and public programs.
CONNECT
Build stronger relationships between people and place.
TRANSFORM
Support lasting changes in how communities live, build, and care for their places.
Case Study: LA LUNA EN LA CUNA BY DIEGO MIRÓ-RIVERA
Objective: Promote prescribed fire for prairie health. Reduce fear. Clarify risk.
Solution: This project is a multi-acre land drawing created through a prescribed burn. It distills fire behavior into a format that can be understood at a glance. The drawing makes the control of the burn clear and works as a risk-communication tool, easing fear—a major barrier to good land management. It's also a story moving through the region and social media, building public literacy.
PEOPLE
Rachel Farrington
Executive Director and Vice Chair
Rachel is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and designer with additional experience in interiors, landscape design, and construction management. She holds an MFA from Azusa Pacific University.
Riley Triggs
Board Chair
Riley is an architect, urbanist, and design educator currently serving as the lead project manager for the City of Austin's Convention Center Redevelopment project. He holds architecture degrees from the University of Texas and Rice University.
Kelly Purkey
Board Secretary
Kelly is a wildlife biologist and the Refuge Manager at Balcones National Wildlife Refuge in the Texas Hill Country.
PLACE
La Cuna is located in Art, Texas, approximately 90 minutes west of both Austin and San Antonio. The Llano Uplift, a distinct region within the Texas Hill Country, spans about 90 miles in diameter and is shaped by an ancient Precambrian granite dome. The area's sub-tropical climate is marked by cyclical droughts and floods. Prior to the 1600s, the Uplift was predominantly woodlands (60-70%) interspersed with rolling plains. However, 19th- and 20th-century ranching practices, including clearcutting, overstocking, and overgrazing, eroded soil and altered the region's plant, wildlife, and water systems. At our founder's property, we are collaborating with our ecology partners to research best practices for mitigating these impacts. Our findings, along with insights from local ranchers, landowners, and experts, inform our educational efforts and guide sustainable practices in the region.
