What We Do
Across three seasons, our programs model the value of Texas-local art and creativity in our everyday lives and dreams for the future.
We platform the perspectives of thousands of artists, independent creatives, musicians, filmmakers and craftspeople in Texas, distributing $1M in commissions since 2014. Our programs have pioneered unique, community-based models for arts and culture in all kinds of spaces—from museums to city streets to parks—actively developing creative opportunities and public infrastructure.
Our Citywide Programs
① THE FRONT
MARKET
The Front Market is an independent marketplace and craft fair, hosted biannually in the Spring and Fall. One of the largest and longest-running craft fairs in Central Texas, the program has welcomed 40,000+ guests and showcased more than 2,000 local creatives, artists, designers, chefs, makers and craftspeople in Texas since 2016.
Learn more here.
② THE FRONT
FESTIVAL
The Front Festival is an annual end-of-summer community festival and public exhibition, featuring independent music, film and art. Hosted in Austin across pool parties, musical performances and film showcases, the festival platforms the diverse perspectives of women and LGBTQ+ artists, filmmakers and musicians in Texas.
Learn more here.
③ COMMUNITY
STUDIO
Located in historic East Austin, our 1900 E. 12th Community Studio is a 1000 sq. ft. gathering space and gallery, distinctively designed as a third space for open learning, community development, craft workshops, art shows and creative pop-ups.
The studio includes a co-location retail model, currently housing The Little Gay Shop and Redeemer Small Batch.
Stop by during public hours, become a member or book a rental. Learn more here.
④ OPEN CREATIVE
SCHOOL
Our 10-year folk school traditions have become a foundational curriculum.
Every season, we offer professional development, trainings and workshops that build public education and cultural infrastructure around creative leadership, creative business and community wellness.
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To celebrate ten years in Austin, text us for art tips, creative business advice, Austin recommendations, esoteric grant thoughts and more.
TEXT — (512) 234-3525
EMAIL — hello@futurefronttexas.org
The line will be open for all of 2026 as we reflect on a decade of The Front Market and The Front Festival—and five years as Future Front.
Submissions are answered weekly with popular responses posted monthly online for all to read. -
Future Front hosts weekly Office Hours for Austin artists, creatives and cultural leaders over Zoom at noon each Friday.
Bring your questions about Future Front’s programs or come through to workshop your own problems, concerns and recommendations.
To join future Office Hours, email hello@futurefronttexas.org.
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Future Front partners with The LINE Hotel Austin to host a two-night creative retreat for Central Texas artists in the heart of downtown Austin.
Known for its legacy of supporting artists and integrating creativity into the guest experience, The LINE Austin provided the perfect backdrop for a community-focused approach to creative visibility.
Together, we created an alternative retreat experience—removed from the everyday rhythm and everyday life to retreat with intention.
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Community Clubs are monthly creative community-building and creative wellness workshops led by Future Front members.
From Clay Club to Quilt Camp, Community Clubs are designed to bring local creativity and craft to Austin residents.
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Hosted with partners, Future Front curates mindful Field Trips to historic sites, creative spaces and green spaces that provide facilitated time to think, time to practice, time to sense and time to learn.
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Annually, we work with 15 artists in residence. All based in Austin, Texas.
Collaborating within our programs or with our partners—like The Contemporary Austin, The LINE Hotel Austin and Pease Park—our Resident Artists work with us to create everything from public workshop series to custom playlists to life-size installations.
Designed distinctively for emerging visual and sound artists with community practices in Central Texas, the program includes structured, year-long professional development from Future Front’s staff and partners, as well as group exhibitions within Future Front’s programs.
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We recruit up to 10 Community Curators to join our Curatorial Advisory Board for a minimum one-year term, starting in September of ever year.
With support, training and peer mentorship from Future Front's staff and leadership team, curators learn to jury Future Front markets and festivals, determine annual awardees, as well as nurture their own creative community practices and leadership journeys.
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We provide fiscal sponsorship, mentorship and capacity-building support to independent creatives’ community projects and third spaces in Austin.
⑤ PUBLIC SPACE
PARTNERSHIPS
Over the last decade, we have brought expanded versions of our programs and community design frameworks to the public.
We incubate, design, curate and manage a range of place-making and place-keeping programs in all kinds of spaces—from museums to city streets to public parks—around creative community-building, creative growth and creative wellness.
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In celebration of Pride Month, Pease Park Conservancy partners with Future Front Texas to present an annual Pride Picnic—a day of abundant sunshine and community vibes at Austin’s first and oldest public park.
Every year, thousands of visitors enjoy variety of outdoor workshops and the opportunity to support over 30 pop-up shops featuring local LGBTQ+ artists, makers, designers, and independent creatives.
Within museums and city streets, public parks and community spaces, we produce public exhibitions that connect you to diverse creatives, artists, musicians, craftspeople performers, designers, filmmakers and cultural producers in Texas—who live and work in your community.
Here, you can support and discover their projects, while nurturing your own creativity. -
Designed by Future Front for the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, VIBE Downtown amplifies the art, local culture and vibe of Austin, Texas.
VIBE Downtown fund $30,000s in commissions for local artists and creatives, as well as year-round public engagement support for downtown Austin’s stakeholders and underutilized spaces.
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Annually, Future Front takes over The LINE Hotel to amplify emerging artists and independent creatives living in Central Texas.
Featuring independent artists and local cultural icons, consider these installations a love note to their work—and an introduction to the city we call home. Here, we let creativity emerge.
Since 2017, The Line Hotel Austin’s Emerge Program has amplified 175+ Austin artists with more than lip service.
Through strategic art installations in the lobby, community swims on the hotel’s pool deck and support for The Front Festival, the program has generated $80,000+ in support for independent creatives and collectives.
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HOT SUMMER NIGHTS MARKET is free and open to the public on July 18, 2026 as a one-night pop-up for Austin's Hot Summer Nights festival. As a collaboration between Future Front, The Front Market and Red River Cultural District, the market cultivates creative small businesses and cultural economies in Austin’s historic live music corridor. Learn more here.
Attend events, become a member or apply.
Future Front’s community studio is located at 1900 E 12th Street (also known as Dozen Street) within East Austin’s historic African-American Cultural Heritage District.