Rockport Cultural Arts District Highlights State Digital Media Certification in Q2 Report

September 30, 2026•1 min read

Executive Director Jennifer Day presented the Rockport Cultural Arts District (RCAD) second-quarter report for 2026, highlighting Rockport’s achievement as the first rural community in Texas to earn a Digital Media Friendly certification through the Texas Film Commission.

The state designation aligns with Texas Senate Bill 32, which allocated $1.5 billion over ten years to expand film, digital media, and gaming industries statewide. Day reported that RCAD is collaborating with local middle and high school digital media classes to build career pathways in automation and digital arts. Additional Q2 highlights included:

* State Tourism Data: Mobile location analysis from the Texas Historical Commission revealed that 80% of cultural district visitors traveled from within Texas, with San Antonio, Austin, and Houston representing the top origin markets for two-day average stays.

* Blandon Museum Collaboration: RCAD is preparing for a major January 2027 exhibition featuring 31 historical artworks on loan from the Blandon Museum.

* Train Asset Acquisition: Day clarified that $16,000 in previously reported expenditures completed the full purchase of the district’s mobile event train.

Walter Perry

Walter E. Perry Sr. is co-founder and publisher of The Rockport Pirate, Rockport-Fulton's fastest-growing local news and events platform. A marketing-focused MBA graduate of Texas A&M University–San Antonio and currently pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Walter brings a rare combination of academic rigor and street-level community credibility to independent journalism. He previously served as editor for a local newspaper and is the founder and executive director of Suit Up!, a trademarked, state-certified life skills program that served more than 1,500 individuals in 2024. Walter is a proven community builder driven by a belief that local news should be bold, honest, and built by the people it serves.

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