Community stories. Creative pop-ups. Art installations.
New to Austin? Or need time to reconnect?
Come through for a classic Austin meet-up at Future Front on Saturday, October 24 from 11 AM to 1 PM CT.
As always, this meet-up is open to all.
All are welcome. Scroll for more details.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The Lineup
① Austin-local pop-ups from The Front Market
② Community announcements and stories
③ Tours of Future Front’s current exhibit, “INVASIVE SPECIES 2”
④ DJ sets from Future Front’s Residency
⑤ Open hours to explore 12th Street small businesses and creative studios
The Schedule
11:00 AM — Meet at Future Front to settle in. This is a good time to explore our newest show, grab a cup of coffee in our neighborhood, meet this month’s pop-ups and introduce yourself to a few people.
11:30 AM — Community storytime begins.
12:00 PM — Announcements open. If you're there, you can share (capacity limited). Submit your announcement ahead of time at this link.
12:30 PM — Announcements close. Grab lunch in the area, explore neighboring creative spaces and arts studios that are open, etc.
HOW TO ATTEND
This community meet-up is only $10 by donation, thanks to support from Future Front's members, donors, sponsors and partners.
If you’re a Future Front member, this event is free for you and your guests.
REGISTER NOW:
*If you are a Future Front member, please provide your name at the door for entry or head to members.futurefronttexas.org or futurefrontmembership.squarespace.com to access member rates for event tickets, applications & other perks at anytime.
THE LINEUP
Guest Speaker
Justin Shiels, Creative Entrepreneur
Justin Shiels (he/him) is a artist, writer, and founder of SoCurious. He creates joy-centered art, analog experiences, and creative practices rooted in self-love and nervous-system care. His work helps people slow down, feel safe, and reconnect with what it means to be human in a digital world.
Guest Speaker + Pop-Up
Calder Kamin, Multidisciplinary Artist and Educator
Artist and educator, Calder Kamin, transforms trash into beautifully crafted creatures, fun food accessories, and opportunities to inspire others to be creative and courageous about the future. From 2021-2026 she traveled to 19 residencies in 10 different states, expanding her practice into post-consumer glass, fiber, and metal. Kamin recently completed her first permanent 2% for the Arts commission for Austin Art in Public Places in Mary Moore Searight Park and has returned home to Austin from her travels.
Guest Speaker + DJ
She23, DJ and Musician
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, She23 is a multifaceted music artist, DJ, and event curator. She23 has performed as an official artist at SXSW as well as DreamCon, AfroTech, Jump On It and Pecan Street Festival. Whether playing a set or throwing a party, She23 frequents at Coconut Club, Neon Grotto, Cheer Up Charlie’s and various local venues. Beyond performing, She23 creates curated experiences including All Black Everything, FreakyFriday, and Back On My Bullsh!t. Through her artistry and event curation, She23 continues to champion Austin’s creative community while creating memorable experiences that bring people together.
She23 is currently a member of Future Front’s Annual Artist Residency program.
Guest Speaker
Eliot Gray Fisher, Arts Director and UNESCO Media Austin Representative
Eliot Gray Fisher is an interdisciplinary arts worker and co-director of Austin-based nonprofit arts group ARCOS, whose creative practice connects bodies and technologies. He has created sound and media art for live performance, composed music for dance, theater, and film, designed and built interactive media arts installations, and written and directed original theater and dance. Internationally, he has made or shown work in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Catalonia, Colombia, England, Georgia, Mexico, Scotland, and Serbia. He is an active member and representative of UNESCO Media Austin, a global creative city project.
Guest Speaker + Pop-Up
Marlene, Multidisciplinary Artist
Marlene is an artist from the Rio Grande Valley living in Austin, Texas. She runs Meant To Bead, where she creates intricate, vintage-inspired French beaded flowers and houseplants using tiny glass beads and wire. French beaded flowers date back as far as the late 1800s and were created to honor passed loved ones. Today, she creates her pieces to honor both the living and dead and to transform moments and memories into everlasting pieces.
Guest Speaker + Co-Host
Themmi Hamilton, Philanthropist and Facilitator
Themmi Hamilton is a Taiwanese-Tangkhul-American philanthropist and facilitator. She is passionate about lifting marginalized voices and fostering community, serving on nonprofit boards across Central Texas in support of the arts, culture, and social justice. Professionally, her career lives at the intersection of people and potential: she supports others through the emotional realities of work and helps them build the empathy, awareness, and confidence to navigate them well.
Guest Speaker
Cathy Le, Multidisciplinary Artist
Cathy Le is a Vietnamese-American multidisciplinary artist and curator working across interactive installation and new media. Her practice explores the tenderness and overwhelm of being human in the digital age, examining how technology shapes identity, memory, and our understanding of self. Drawing from personal archives, gathered data, and collective participation, she creates tactile works that uncover human experiences within seemingly impersonal systems. Her recent work spans sculpture, video, and projection mapping, with projects presented through The Museum of Human Achievement, Austin Studio Tour’s UNESCO Creative Cities showcase, Design Austin’s WaterWork, and Almost Real Things’ Touch the Art.
Cathy Le is currently a member of Future Front’s Annual Artist Residency program.
Guest Speaker
Priscilla Sandoval, Ceramicist and Multidisciplinary Artist
Priscilla Sandoval is a Mexican-American artist, ceramicist, and founder of De Luz Studio. Born in Mexico and raised along the Chihuahua-New Mexico border, her work is deeply influenced by her roots, the colors, traditions, and everyday moments of growing up between two cultures. She creates playful, handmade ceramics and home decor designed to bring joy to everyday spaces.
Guest Photographer
Kate Nuelle, Photographer and Designer
Kate Nuelle (they/them) is an artist born, raised and based in Austin, Texas. By day, they are a graphic designer specializing in brand identity and printed material for companies and non-profits related to arts, culture, and media. Their photography and illustration work brings up concerns about privacy, ephemerality, and power through eerie compositions. They have been featured through The Gallery ATX, the Michael and Noémi Neidorff Art Gallery, and ICOSA, as well as published in Verses, Glaze, Seedlings, Power Vacuum and other independent publications.
Guest Speaker + Pop-Up
Ebony Cherelle, Herbalist and Creative Entrepreneur
Founder, mother, holistic birth worker, and health equity advocate, Ebony Cherrelle is the heartbeat behind June and Sage. In 2018, Ebony embarked on a personal and spiritual journey to improve her health and overall wellbeing. She began studying herbalism, deepening her connection to the land and her traditional ancestral healing modalities. This journey reshaped the way that she viewed wellness, and opened her eyes to the restoration and healing that can be found in natural living.
Ebony believes that everyone has the ability to nourish and restore their health by being mindful of what we put in and on our bodies. From balancing the immune system to nourishing and healing the skin, Ebony has formulated a line of herbal supplements and uncompromising skincare that is affordable and accessible to the community. Her formulations incorporate herbs, and traditional plant based remedies that have been passed down through generations. Her mission is to heal her community, break generational health disparities, and restore the connection between ancestral wisdom and healing.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT TO 1900 E 12TH
Future Front’s Community Studio is located at 1900 E. 12th Street. From soil to cement, the 1940s building has a long history that precedes us (including its first owner Vera Barton and the We Rise mural).
WHERE TO PARK: We have a large paid parking lot across the street and is directly accessible by bus line. There’s also free parking up and down the street and in surrounding neighborhoods. Carpool, if you can! Find direct parking instructions and details here.
WHAT TO DO: Our studio is located within East Austin’s historic African-American Cultural Heritage District, which is home to many other creative spaces and businesses, as well as organizations like Six Square, the What Once Was Heritage Center at Rosewood Courts and Austin’s first HBCU and higher learning institution Huston-Tillotson University.
★ Trona — bar — 1812 E 12th
★ Little Nishi in King Bee — sushi — 1906 E 12th
★ Nixta Taqueria — restaurant — 2512 E 12th
★ Comadre Panaderia — bakery — 1204 Cedar Ave
★ Keep Looking Shop — bookshop — 1614 E 12th
★ community garden — café bar — 1401 Cedar Ave
★ The Plant Society — plant shop — 1912 E 12th
★ Lynny’s Diner — café bar — 1914 E 12th
★ The Little Gay Shop — boutique — 1902 E 12th
★ Sam’s BBQ — restaurant — 2000 E 12th
★ Austin Daiquiri Factory — bar — 2000 E 12th
★ El Tigre Coffee Shop — coffee bar — 1614 E. 12th
★ Origin Studio House — hospitality group — 2925 E. 12th
★ Open Form — yoga studio — 2900 E 12th
For more information on the history of our district, book a tour with Black Austin Tours.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES — ASL interpreters can be provided upon request. Si necesita traducción al español para participar en este evento, envíenos un correo electrónico a hello@futurefronttexas.org.
OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY GUIDELINES —
All Future Front staff, volunteers and guests will be required to practice mutual respect, as well as demonstrate an alignment with Future Front’s code of conduct and values: futurefronttexas.org/values.
Capacity is limited to reduce crowding of any kind and all events will be held in primarily outdoor and open-air spaces or have access to proper ventilations and well-maintained A/C systems.
At Future Front events, all guests are expected to follow Austin-local health and safety guidelines for gatherings, as well as practice consideration with the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and any other legal, mind-altering or dangerous substances and objects. This includes:
Discouraged use of tobacco products on the property of nearby businesses and residences, to improve air quality, throughout our events.
Tobacco use and electronic smoking device use are not permitted at any time within Future Front properties and event spaces at least 15 ft from entrances, exits, operational windows, or ventilation system intake vents.
Littering of tobacco-related products on the grounds or parking lots is also prohibited.
Concealed or open weapons and firearms (including handguns) are not allowed at any Future Front venues.
GOT QUESTIONS? Shoot us a note at hello@futurefronttexas.org. We're happy to help and will get back to you!
ABOUT FUTURE FRONT
Homegrown in Austin, Future Front is an award-winning cultural space and public exhibition series—with women and LGBTQ+ creatives at the front.
As a 501c3 arts and culture nonprofit, we produce two annual community-led exhibitions, The Front Market and The Front Festival, platforming independent artists and creatives across disciplines in Texas. Beyond our flagship exhibitions, we host seasonal shows and workshops at our creative space in East Austin, welcoming 20,000+ visitors per year.
Through these programs and a diverse network of partnerships, we invite the public (including you) to dream of a future where local art and creativity thrive in Texas—where we see ourselves and our cultures reflected in our communities.
FUTURE FRONT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Texas Commission on the Arts, The LINE Hotel Austin, Pease Park Conservancy, Preservation Austin, Zoox, Movability,ART FOR ALL, Partiful, Moontower Rentals, Distribution Hall, Miscellaneous Rentals, Thirstday Tequila, the Red River Cultural District, Topo Chico, as well as Future Front’s donors and members.