“Heavenly Beings” Opens At The Historic Dedrick-Hamilton House for Juneteenth
Curated by Future Front Curatorial Advisor Leah Kearse and local curator and artist Via Ceaser, the show brought together Texas-based Black artists across disciplines, creating a space for reflection and celebration through visual art and storytelling.
This Juneteenth, the African American Cultural Heritage Facility hosted “Heavenly Beings,” an art exhibition and showcase celebrating Black history and creativity inside the historic Dedrick-Hamilton House.
Curated by Future Front Curatorial Advisor Leah Kearse and local curator and artist Via Ceaser, the show brought together Texas-based Black artists across disciplines, creating a space for reflection and celebration through visual art and storytelling.
Grounded in the work of primarily Texas-based artists, the show highlights the ways Black creative practices continue to evolve, take up space and assert presence across generations. As a stop along the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade, the opening reception featured live music supported by Future Front, a free catfish fry and community gatherings on the lawn.
ABOUT THE HISTORIC LOCATION
Built by Thomas Dedrick, the first formerly enslaved person to own land in Travis County, around 1880, the Dedrick-Hamilton House stands as a lasting symbol of East Austin's historic Rosewood community. Located within the city’s formally recognized African-American Cultural Heritage District, the space now serves as the centerpiece of the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility as a community space that supports arts, culture and educational programming throughout the year.
“When you visit the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility—a pillar of Austin’s Black community—you’ll be inundated with wonder by the sight of a cozy yellow house snuggled up to the building’s breezeway. Constructed by Thomas Dedrick, the first freed slave in Travis County, circa 1880, the Dedrick-Hamilton house is a longstanding artifact of the blooming Rosewood community that built and defined East Austin, serving as a as a powerful venue for the debut of ‘Heavenly Beings.’”
MEET THE CURATORS
Leah Kearse (left) and Via Ceaser (right)
Leah Kearse
Leah Kearse (she/they) is a designer and artist originally from Americus, Georgia. Her work focuses on intersecting culture with impact and capturing the Black experience through interactive mediums. When she's not creating, you can find her volunteering at Austin School of Furniture, whipping up concoctions in the kitchen, or teaching at Sisu Studio.
Via Ceaser
Via Madison Ceaser is a multi-hyphenate visual artist skilled in visual storytelling and creative direction for immersive environments, cultural institutions, and digital platforms. Ceaser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Digital Media from the University of Texas at Austin. During her studies, she was influenced by a range of artists, including Dawoud Bey, Simone Leigh, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Howardena Pindell; each shaping her approach to representation, material, and storytelling. Her work centers people of color, seeking to capture the subtle nuances of intersectional identities.
EXPLORE PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING RECEPTION:
All photos by Kate Nuelle
Did you miss the opening reception for Heavenly Beings?
Keep up with what we’re up to at Future Front—from events to membership—here.
Hot Summer Nights Market Takes Over Red River With Record-Breaking Visitors
During the pop-up, all were invited to walk up and down the block to enjoy the one-and-only, 100% free Hot Summer Nights festival, featuring more than 50 shows and live sets by Austin musicians in some of the city's iconic Red River venues.
For our third annual Hot Summer Nights Market with Austin’s iconic Red River Cultural District, more than 750 visitors and fans rolled through Stubb’s for a night of shopping small and supporting local.
On July 18, we transformed Liberty Lunch into a special pop-up edition of The Front Market. All in celebration of Austin’s live music community, the Red River Cultural District and the city’s Hot Summer Nights festival.
During the pop-up, all were invited to walk up and down the block to enjoy the one-and-only, 100% free Hot Summer Nights festival, featuring more than 50 shows and live sets by Austin musicians in some of the city's iconic Red River venues.
ENJOY THIS YEAR’S VISUAL RECAP.
Photos by Levi Thompson, courtesy of Hot Summer Nights
Hot Summer Nights is a free annual three-day district-wide music and arts festival held in the Red River Cultural District located in the heart of downtown Austin.
Founded in 2017, Hot Summer Nights was originally created in an effort to provide additional revenue to district members, as well as paid opportunities for musicians and artists in the traditionally slower summer months.
Hot Summer Nights Market is an official Future Front Public Space Partnership.
Alongside partners, Future Front pioneers unique, community-based models for cultural programming and place-making initiatives in all kinds of spaces—from museums to city streets to public parks—around three core pillars: Creative Community-Building, Creative Wellness and Creative Belonging.
Over the last decade, we have collaborated directly with like-minded companies and organizations to bring expanded versions of our programs and community design frameworks to the public. We regularly co-found, design, curate and manage a range of public place-making programs with partner organizations, like Pride Picnic.
Introducing Our 2026 Pride Picnic Polaroid Yearbook
Pride Picnic welcomed 2500+ visitors in 2026. Thank you for another incredible year!
On Saturday, June 27, Future Front partnered with Pease Park for its fifth-annual Pride Picnic—a day of abundant sunshine, community vibes and a delightfully queer celebration of the summer solstice.
For the third year in a row, we brought back the picnic’s annual Polaroid yearbook. Each photograph is a small act of remembrance. In collecting these snapshots, we hope to celebrate and preserve the presence of queer joy in Texas.
ENJOY THIS YEAR’S POLAROIDS.
REMINISCE WITH PHOTOS BY ROSY CAMPANITA (COURTESY OF PEASE PARK).
DID YOU MISS PRIDE PICNIC?
You can learn more about all of the LGBTQ+ artists, makers, creatives and organizations who joined us in 2025 here. For details on future Pride Picnics, stay tuned on Future Front’s calendar.
Y’ALL DINNER Celebrates Ten Years of Future Front Programs With Chef Deepa Shridhar
Austin-based chef Deepa Shridhar and Future Front Executive Director Jane Hervey host their third-annual supper club and community fundraiser.
For three nights in July, we transformed Future Front into a pop-up restaurant for our third-annual Y’all Dinner.
In collaboration with Chef Deepa Shridhar, the multi-course menu included everything from fermented tomato martinis (thanks, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Topo Chico) to boudin kolaches and Texas peach amuse-bouches. Each dish was curated with hot, spicy girl dinners, South Indian flavors and blended Lone Star heritages in mind.
As always, all proceeds from Y’ALL DINNER supported the evening’s talent, as well as ten years of Future Front’s free public arts and culture programs.
BASK IN THE VISUAL RECAP.
Photos by Jaz Chipman and Valen Chavez
MEET THE DINNER’S ANNUAL HOSTS.
Deepa Shridhar (she/her) is a chef, writer, podcaster and TV & Digital personality residing in Austin. Shridhar has started her professional cooking career working at some of the best restaurants in Texas, including her own award winning food trailer, Puli-Ra, and supper club, specializing in South Indian Texan cuisine, her own brand of Third Culture Cuisine.
She is the founder of Thali Omakase; a private monthly dinner experience with a completely custom menu, complimentary beverage program and playlist.
Currently, Shridhar collaborates on supper clubs and pop ups with like minded businesses across the country that include award winning restaurants and food businesses alike. She’s a contributing writer for Serious Eats and has been featured in many national publications along with multiple appearances on the Food Network including Chopped, as a runner up.
Chef Deepa has a substack under the moniker: Sicc Palette. Sicc Palette is a digital platform that houses her podcast, newsletter and a variety of video content that focuses on personal narratives, the definitions of fine dining, immigrant, third culture cuisine and recipes flavored by her South Indian Texan perspective.
Photo by Nitya Jain
Jane Hervey (she/her) is a community and brand development director, award-winning curator, creative producer and accidental nonprofit founder. Over the last decade, she has led teams and programs for 25+ creative companies and start-ups, arts and entertainment organizations and public spaces across the US. Designing thoughtfully curated experiences, brand identities and storytelling projects, her client list reflects independent creatives and nonprofits, cities and local government, as well as lifestyle and tech brands like The LINE Hotel, Bumble and Waymo.
Currently, she directs Future Front, a 501c3 cultural space she founded in 2021, alongside her own consultancy, group work. Through these projects, her community-designed festivals and fairs have distributed more than $1M in commissions and support to Texas-based independent artists, musicians, filmmakers, craftspeople, curators, cultural workers and multidisciplinary creatives since 2015. This pioneering work in public and private programming, creative direction and brand strategy has been recognized for its undeniable impact on Texas culture—from the underground to public parks—by ADWEEK, Texas Monthly, The National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Austin’s Women’s Hall of Fame. As a keynote speaker and curator for organizations like SXSW, Austin FC, Fusebox Festival, The Contemporary Austin Museum and Soho House, Jane has become a known advocate for stronger Texan cities, cultural justice and community practices in creative leadership, too.
Jane has also composed records and music as an independent recording artist for global projects since 2012. Originally from the South Texas border, Hervey now lives and works in Austin, Texas. Learn more at janeclairehervey.com.
Thank you to all who attended and supported.
Y’ALL Dinner will be back in July 2027.
Check back for details at futurefronttexas.org/comethrough.
PS — We are fundraising for our future. Find ways to support below:
How To Navigate Public Art Opportunities In Austin, Texas and Beyond
Read for key takeaways around navigating public art opportunities as a working artist, cultural producer or administrator.
Sharon Louden (Left), Constance Y. White (Middle), and Raasin McIntosh (Right), Photos by Yvonne Uwah
In April 2026, we welcomed a conversation between public artist Sharon Louden, public arts administrator Constance Y. White and public arts nonprofit founder Raasin McIntosh.
Together, we explored how creative work shapes public life—from large-scale installations at our city’s airports to grassroots initiatives and everyday sidewalks.
Below, you’ll find some key takeaways from the conversation and things to consider when navigating public art opportunities as a working artist, cultural producer or administrator.
Are you applying to (or creating for) public art opportunities?
Here are our top 10 tips for determining where public art fits in your career:
Start with a clear definition of “public art,” and identify what public art means to you. Public art refers to art of any medium created for or exhibited outside of traditional museum/gallery settings—often site-specific, experiential and meant for multiple “publics.” Public art is more than permanent murals and sculptures. Public art can extend to public programming, public performance, public practices and temporary artworks.
“Everyone is your public,” said Constance Y. White. “Different visitors want different things. Locals may want regional stories, while travelers may want national and international perspectives.”When it comes to public art, the site is an active collaborator. Strong proposals for public art and public programming demonstrate site specificity, considering who uses the space (locals, tourists, workers, travelers), what the space is for (infrastructure, safety, flow), and what stories/history/belonging are embedded there. The best proposals show how the work fits the site physically and socially (movement patterns, community context, local narratives, daily users, future change).
Treat “the public” as plural—and plan for competing needs. When creating public art or public programming—especially in civic or high-traffic environments (e.g., airports, public cultural centers, etc.)—there are many stakeholders and audiences. Determine how you can create public art and public programming that acknowledges different kinds of visitors and their needs, as well as their navigation of the site. When applying for major public art commissions and grants, strong proposals actively demonstrate how your work can hold that complexity.
Make public engagement more than a checkbox. Show how community voice influences your project and concept. Funders and administrators look for evidence that public input informs your artwork, your creative practice and the conceptual development of your public programming/art. Spell out how you’ll listen, what you’ll do with feedback as it comes and where it will visibly land in the final work.
Think of your public art as construction projects, with safety considerations, fabrication and production needs, collaborative timelines, trusted partners and frameworked approaches for logistics. Public art requires coordination, fabrication/installation planning, maintenance realities, and often multiple vendors. Demonstrate you can deliver this kind of work professionally—not just beautifully.
Make your deliverables specific. In public settings, compensation often gets justified through measurable outputs: engagement plans, design milestones, production steps, documentation (like photos and videos), educational components, etc. Translate your value into concrete deliverables, without flattening the artistry and design process.
Understand the budget constraints early. When it comes to public art and public programming, you’re often working backward from a fixed budget but you may be able to shift what is allocated toward different line items (from lighting to fabrication, installation support or project management) that better support your project’s needs and distinct costs.
Read and apply the contract like it’s your bible (and know where to requested support). Learn the terms, conditions, deliverables and personal risk you take on with each public project. Pay attention to intellectual property clauses and rights waivers, too. When legal review is needed, use arts-legal resources and consult with professionals.
Plan for feedback, negotiation and collaboration. Public art and public programming opens your work, your creative ideas and your intellectual property to public feedback. Build in design rounds. Prepare to present and articulate your ideas. Provide context on your expertise, public engagement processes and plans. Sometimes, conversations about design, the site or the process can get heated! Stay calm, engage in good faith and keep the work’s values intact.
“You should be prepared to explain your work,” said Sharon Louden. “Artist statements help with this.”Don’t get discouraged with the proposal and application process. Keep applying, follow up and protect the relationships you build along the way—because art communities are tiny. Submitting public art proposals and developing a network of collaborators in public programming takes times. Your application might be rejected, but a reviewer could reach out later. Ask for feedback when it’s useful and actively do what you can to build skill and show up fully prepared to deliver. Remember—the people you work alongside last longer than any project itself.
PS — Want to get involved with Future Front?
Our programs model the value of local art and creativity in our everyday lives and dreams for the future.
Become a member or donate. You can also explore all of the other ways to join us here.
Visit Our East Austin Location on 12th Street
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.
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.
Located in East Austin between I-35 (West), Manor Road (North), Airport Boulevard (East) and East 7th Street (South), this district is more than just a geographic area—it is a living narrative of resilience, creativity, and community pride that has shaped the identity of Austin for generations.
As we learned from conversations with former Six Square Executive Director Nefertitti Jackmon, Preservation Austin board member Miriam Conner and KAZI Station Manager Reno Dudley, historic East Austin has been defined by much more than the ramifications of the City of Austin’s 1928 City Plan, the rising pressures of gentrification, as well as the recent (and controversial) acquisition of 70% of land parcels on 12th Street by developers at Eureka Holdings.
Despite the lack of visible investment from local government and institutions (only 16% total of landmarks in all of Austin are BIPOC) in preserving East Austin’s history, the area’s roots are vibrantly tied to:
cultural centers and historic spaces like:
community-powered radio station KAZI 88.7
The Dedrick Hamilton House (where The African American Cultural and Heritage Facility now stands)
Austin’s first university and HBCU Huston-Tillotson University
nationally known icons like Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Jackie Robinson and Dr. JJ Seabrook
The African American Cultural Heritage District in Austin, Texas, stands as a powerful reminder of the rich history, culture, and contributions of the African American community to the city. Planning a visit? Book a tour with Black Austin Tours.
We’re neighbors to many creative spaces and small businesses, as well as organizations that champion the District’s heritage. Scroll and click on each image for more details.
Future Front is open to all on East 12th Street.
Our 1940s building is nestled within Austin’s African-American Cultural Heritage District, and we hope to live up to the legacy of our block.
From soil to cement, our building has a long history that precedes us (from its first owner Vera Barton to the We Rise mural). We acknowledge and honor our neighborhood’s German immigration origins in the 1800s), legacy of Black entrepreneurs following the 1928 City Plan in the 1950s, as well as the diverse Indigenous peoples and all elders—past, present and future—who have shaped and continue to shape this land on which we gather, too.
We invite you to celebrate their active cultural contributions and traditions. Make space and tend good relations here and now.
Through this creative space in East Austin and our flagship programs, we create:
Educational opportunities for creative skill-building and creative wellness
Fund community cultural events
Develop community-building educational resources
Offer subsidized access to arts and culture public space
Nurture free, public arts programming
Experiment with community-driven and creative place-making and place-keeping models—together.
Friends Fair Partners With Future Front and The Contemporary Austin On Its Second-Year Launch
Returning for its second year at The Loren Hotel on May 8 and 9, Friends Fair launched with an intimate reception at The Contemporary Austin — Jones Center, presented in partnership with Future Front. Curated by our Founding Director Jane Hervey, the evening’s lineup reflected the overlapping friendships that define Austin’s analog art and live music scenes.
Returning for its second year at The Loren Hotel on May 8 and 9, Friends Fair launched with an intimate reception at The Contemporary Austin — Jones Center, presented in partnership with Future Front.
Curated by our Founding Director Jane Hervey, the evening’s lineup reflected the overlapping friendships that define Austin’s analog art and live music scenes.
Throughout the night, guests enjoyed interpretative performances by masked movement artists Taryn Lavery and Aída Hernandez-Reyes, featuring pieces by Mexic-Arte Changarrito Artist-In-Residence Carla Santillana and Essentials Creative member Fabian Alejandro Diaz
Onstage, the program began with an all-vinyl set by Antone’s Nightclub photographer, live music curator and DJ Salihah Saadiq aka Foxxxy Brown, followed by an intimate art-rock performance by Austin Music Awards 2026 Best Vocalist BRUCE (accompanied by special guest pianist Sara L. Houser).
ENJOY THE VISUAL RECAP.
Images courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photographs by Levi Thompson.
MEET THE EVENING’S LINEUP.
Guest Performer
BRUCE
BRUCE is the new project of Carrie Fussell, the former front-woman of Calliope Musicals.
you're home alone in the shower; you're singing "all by myself" by celine dion at the top of your lungs while ice cold water prickles your skin into that of a chicken. from somewhere that seems far away, a stadium full of people throw flowers at your feet and chant your name.
your name is BRUCE.
BRUCE is an art rock project. BRUCE got ready for sunday school all by herself. her debut album "must love teeth" was released on july 11, 2025, and she released a live concert film by the same name on november 4, 2025. at the very end of 2025, BRUCE was nominated by the austin chronicle as best vocalist (which she won), best new band and most creative event. pretty cool, huh?
Guest Performer
Foxxxy Brown
Salihah Saadiq aka Foxxxy Brown is a local vinyl vixen who's all about a good time and a good groove.
Heavily inspired by the energy of 70s/90s and innovation of the modern sounds, she integrates the old with the new, providing a sweet sonic experience.
Her signature sounds include soul, hip-hop, funk and electronic/house.
Movement Artist
Taryn Lavery
Taryn Lavery, originally from Utah, is a freelance dancer, choreographer, cross-disciplinary design artist and co-founder/co-director of Austin’s BLiPSWiTCH— a project-based dance company focused on collaboration and site-specific performance works as an avenue to community expansion. She is a current dancer with Allysen Hooks Projects, Performa/Dance, RushTopFish and TY&CO, and has worked with ARCOS (2015-2022), Jennifer Sherburn (2016-2021), KDH Dance Company, Lisa Nicks, Justo Cisneros, Pearl Bhatnagar, Collide Arts, Dance Carousel, SEAM Project and more. Taryn has a creative philosophy rooted in the belief that the way we gather and share in exposition is an extension of process, and she fuses her classical background with a desire to revitalize modern dance for broader audiences, extracting a new form of contemporary performance.
Guest Artist
Carla Santillana
Carla Santillana is an artist and art educator from Brownsville, Texas, currently based in San Antonio. Working across oil painting, textiles, and sculptural forms, including handmade masks, her practice explores how emotion is held and expressed through the body. She is a 2026 Changarrito Resident at the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, and her work was featured on the cover of Bittersweet Memories, a publication by a Rio Grande Valley artist.
Guest Pianist
Sara L. Houser
Active in the Austin music scene for over a decade, Sara L. Houser’s contributions have never been singular. Much of her career has been defined by her behind the scenes roles as a sought after collaborator in the studio world (Spoon, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Walker Lukens) and as a touring musician for big name acts Zella Day (Chaparelle) and Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit). S. L. Houser was the KUTX January Artist of the Month in 2024 and nominated twice for Musician of the Year in the Austin Chronicle’s Austin Music Awards. Her first record, Hibiscus, is a spyglass look into the mind of a self-described recovering workaholic. The album was added to rotation at over 64 non-comm stations nationwide and has charted in NACC’s Top 200 since its release. In 2025, S. L. Houser made her debut at Austin City Limits on the BMI stage. She is currently working on her second album and continuing her production, arranging and touring work for other artists (Sirenhouse). For more on S. L. Houser, visit her website slhouser.com.
Guest Artist
Fabian Alejandro Diaz
Born in the small west Texas town of Andrews, Fabian Alejandro Diaz grew up in Aztec, New Mexico, in the four corners area on the Colorado border. He has called San Antonio home since 2008. An artist from the beginning, he works across several media, with tribal culture as the through line of his aesthetic. A fascination with adornment led him to experiment with accessorizing using whatever materials were on hand. Driven by the need to create, he continues to explore every avenue of his practice as he builds his brand, CASA DE OJOS.
Movement Artist
Aída Hernandez-Reyes
Aída Hernandez-Reyes is a freelance dancer, performer, choreographer and interdisciplinary art maker based in Austin, Texas. Their movement training spans from local Austin studios to programs with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Sidra Bell, B12 and the University of Texas at Austin from which they received a BFA in dance and performance.
Aída has worked with Jesse Zaritt, Michiyaya, Valleto, Sarah J Bartholomew, Mama Duke, Thee Gay Agenda, Andrew Schneider and Annie Saunders, Kelsey Oliver, Joy Alpuerto Ritter, ARCOS, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Performa/Dance, JKJK, and more. Their creative process is inspired by a motivation to build stamina, rest, be upside down, craft and diy, punk around, appreciate the mundane and notice the sublime, and examine and embody their multiracial queer experience of the world around them.
PS — Want to get involved with Future Front?
Our programs model the value of local art and creativity in our everyday lives and dreams for the future.
Become a member or donate. You can also explore all of the other ways to join us here.
Introducing Future Front's 2026 Governing Board
Join us in welcoming Hali Martin as Future Front’s 2026 Board President, alongside Treasurer Diana Lynn Gorham, Secretary Auburn Rutledge and Curatorial Officer Taylor Danielle Davis.
Future Front is proud to welcome long-time organizational leaders—Hali Martin, Diana Lynn Gorham, Auburn Rutledge and Taylor Danielle Davis—to the 2026 Governing Board.
BOARD PRESIDENT | FOUNDING MEMBER
Hali Martin
Hali Martin (she/they) is a community builder, marketing strategist, facilitator, and ceramic artist. Throughout her career, Hali has led data-driven campaigns for technology companies, film festivals, and universities, building demand and sharpening strategy for brands including Cloudflare, Bonterra and Q2, where she optimized programs to increase return on investment from 12x to 60x.
She's balanced her career by centering her life outside it in the arts and community work. Hali has moderated panels at Future Front's WORK, taught workshops, and hosted a Career Club in Austin—helping local Austinites translate their experience into new roles, making sense of AI. As a deliberative facilitator, she has guided city officials, university faculty, and residents through the civic processes that shape their communities.
That commitment now anchors her role as Board President of Future Front Texas. She joined Future Front as a Community Curator in 2019, and the board in 2021 to build connection and to get engaged with the artists and creatives shaping Austin's culture, grounded in a belief that understanding the world we live in means being an active part of it.
A black, nonbinary, queer Texan by way of the Bay Area, Hali reads voraciously — N.K. Jemisin, adrienne maree brown, and Octavia Butler among her favorites. Find her at the pottery wheel, the farmer's market, with the Sunday paper or in the kitchen chasing a new recipe.
“I came to Texas in the early nineties, left, and found my way back in 2018. I joined Future Front to root myself in a place, to root myself in the arts, and because I know that engaging in the world, helping it grow, and maintaining our local communities lets me live a much more robust life as an artist and as a person invested in the city I call home.
I’ve come to see what we do at Future Front as an act of world-building: the deliberate, collective practice of shaping the world we want to live in, one relationship and one possibility at a time. This is the heart of it — we shape this place, and it shapes us.
From talks with Jane and our resident artists, to hearing Constance Y. White speak about art in public spaces, it’s become apparent to me that there is a way to be an artist in every walk of life. Art isn’t only the work that hangs on walls or appears in magazines; it’s how we translate that work into the spaces we live in. It’s how we engage one another, the pieces we create to represent our world, how we build community, and how we make room for the creativity in the spaces we share.
Our city, our country and Future Front, nestled on the corner of 12th Street, are all in a pivotal moment of change, looking for ways to root art in our community, uplift artists, and keep making space for them.
At Future Front, we are an arts and culture organization where it is deeply true that we are art — and that, together, we create culture. The future is local. Culture is infrastructure. You are art. I came back to Texas to find a home, and found a community already building one. I’m hopeful, and I’d love for you to build the next part of it with us.”
BOARD TREASURER
Diana Lynn Gorham
Diana Gorham (ella/she/her) also answers to Tesora (to her wife), Tia (to nieces/nephews), Madrina (to ahijada/os), and D (to 80’s softball team still kicking it).
A born-and-bred Tejana/Chicana, Diana has led a life that far exceeds what she (and most of society) expected: first in family of 8 siblings to attend & graduate college; taught public schools; registered/voted as member of the Raza Unida Party in the 70s; served on local/regional/national nonprofit/municipal boards since 1970s; helped to found arts/folkloric nonprofits in the 80s; helped to establish/manage successful Latinx businesses also in the 80s; earned MBA in 1991; and served as executive director of allgo (91-93) and YWCA Greater Austin (1994-2015). Retirement has afforded time for overseeing the building of two post-retirement homes; searching for my mother’s garden and finding my own; honing cooking skills; taking road trips; volunteering with Future Front; and working to turn Texas blue (again).
BOARD SECRETARY
Auburn Rutlege
auburn rutledge (she/they) is a creative coach, consultant and people leader whose work weaves together frameworks of liberatory leadership, storytelling and inclusive systems design. She believes that how we build our organizations and communities must critically begin with a focus on belonging and she brings that conviction to every room where she leads, facilitates or participates.
With more than thirteen years of experience building inclusive, high-performing teams, designing human-centered programs and frameworks, auburn pairs her strategic background with the ongoing study of imagination, leadership and human-centered culture change. She received an MA in Creative Leadership from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2025 and is currently pursuing an MS in Creativity & Change Leadership from SUNY Buffalo.
auburn’s work centers her intersectional identity as a queer, Black, mixed and AuDHD person and how these perspectives from the margin facilitate new ways of solving problems and painting the vision of what’s possible. Her coaching practice is rooted in empathy, truth-telling and narrative design: how to reclaim identity, nurture creative exploration and curiosity and build pathways toward wholeness. Additionally, she acts as a consultant and facilitator on leadership development, storytelling and design thinking for problem-solving.
BOARD CURATORIAL OFFICER | ARTIST RESIDENCY ADVISOR
Taylor Danielle Davis
Taylor Danielle Davis (she/her) is a curator, cultural arts producer, public art facilitator, and landscape designer who has been producing artist centered events and exhibitions in partnership with private, non-profit and city arts organizations for the last ten years. By shaping curatorial concepts, building relationships with artists, and aligning with the right partners, she creates programs and exhibits that engage communities, illuminate cultural themes, uplift emerging artists, and open pathways for sustained artistic growth.
With a background in design and construction, cultural production and project management, she has curated over 20 visual arts exhibitions in Austin and San Francisco, produced dozens of public programs including educational workshops, artist development curriculums and public art programs. She has partnered with major non-profit and city organizations in Austin, including Future Front Texas, The Trail Conservancy, Women and their Work Gallery, MASS Gallery, City of Austin Arts in Public Places, Waterloo Greenway, Martha’s Gallery among others.
Taylor is passionate about creating engaging conversations with both artists and arts leaders by emphasizing the importance of the artistic process and the value of connecting artists to the communities that shape them. She collaborates with artists, organizations, and cultural partners to activate curatorial projects, public art strategy, community engagement design and cultural programming and welcomes inquiries from those seeking thoughtful curation, community-centered creative strategy, and support for emerging artists.
PS — Want to get involved with Future Front?
Our programs model the value of local art and creativity in our everyday lives and dreams for the future.
Become a member or donate. You can also explore all of the other ways to join us here.
On Living Collage and Counter Archives: “In the days of Various Light” by Xochi Solis
Presented by Future Front with support from Preservation Austin, In the Days of Various Light is a solo show and site-specific collage installation by Austin-based artist Xochi Solis.
Presented by Future Front with support from Preservation Austin, In the Days of Various Light is a solo show and site-specific installation by Austin-based artist Xochi Solis.
In the days of various light is a community-centered installation by Austin-based artist Xochi Solis, reflecting on the cyclical relationships between memory, transformation, and collective renewal within the city’s cultural landscape. Across its duration, the installation acts as a counter-archive, continually reshaped as collaged layers and community offerings build upon one another, tracing how Austin’s stories are held, altered, and carried forward. Just as plants thrive within interconnected systems, Solis explores how art-making, storytelling, and collaboration sustain cultural ecosystems.
Building upon Solis’s ongoing collage practice rooted in ancestral memory, Tejana identity, and the materiality of place, this installation expands from the intimate terrain of her family’s history in East Austin toward a collective ecology of stories. As part of Future Front’s ongoing Community Studio exhibitions, In the days of various light reflects the journey of Austin-based multidisciplinary artists like Xochi Solis- weaving collaborative and iterative relationships through our city’s local culture.
In the Days of Various Light is on view through September 2026 at Future Front’s Community Studio on 1900 E. 12th Street. Visit during gallery hours on Fridays from noon to 6 PM or during special events.
Continue reading to learn more about the show.
MEET THE ARTIST
Xochi Solis
Xochi Solis (she/her) is an Austin-based multi-media artist. Her works include collaged paintings that explore color, texture, and shape through paint, collected paper ephemera, hand-dyed and marbled paper, plastics, and found images from books and magazines. Through a practiced process of layering materials, incorporating the visual depth and illusions of photographic surfaces, Solis reflects on the visual complexities in her environment—both natural and cultural.
While her practice remains rooted in mixed media, she thrives on collaborative creativity. Her passion for community-building is reflected in her leadership roles within Austin’s arts & culture organizations, including Big Medium, MASS Gallery, and, most recently, eight years as the founding board president of Future Front Texas. Solis also performs as a vinyl DJ under the name Mira Mira, focusing on preserving and performing Tejanx culture. These experiences bridge her studio practice with her commitment to creating innovative, collective spaces.
EXPLORE PHOTOS FROM OPENING NIGHT:
All photos by Kate Nuelle
Did you miss the opening reception for In the days of various light?
Keep up with what we’re up to at Future Front—from events to membership—here.
On 8 Years Of Creative Community Service: Xochi Solis
Generational Austin artist and community leader Xochi Solis served as founding Board President of Future Front Texas for nearly eight years. Throughout her time at Future Front, Solis contributed to the organization’s name change, established our current advisory and team structures, served as Interim Admin Director in our biggest growth spurts, as well as helped co-found our Residency and VIBE programs.
Generational Austin artist and community leader Xochi Solis served as founding Board President of Future Front Texas for nearly eight years.
Throughout her time at Future Front, Solis contributed to the organization’s name change, established our current advisory and team structures, served as Interim Admin Director in our biggest growth spurts, as well as helped co-found our Residency and VIBE programs.
This Summer 2026 Season, we’ll reflect on Solis’ contributions to Future Front through the debut of her latest exhibition “In the days of various light,” on view now through September 2026 at Future Front’s historic Community Studio on 1900 E 12th.
ON HER TIME AT FUTURE FRONT:
Photo by Jinni J
What drew you to this board position?
“A commitment to expanding representation and access in the creative sector—especially for women and artists of color—drew me to join and help shape Future Front Texas from its founding days. As a multidisciplinary artist and organizer born & raised in Austin, my ambition has always been to see future generations of Texans and Tejanxs experience more joyous, creative lives, supported by institutions built on equity, visibility, and authentic community. Witnessing the potential impact and reach of #bbatx’s early events as a space for intersectionality and amplified voices, I felt compelled to invest my skills and energy in an organization aligned with my core values: creative leadership, collaborative design, and personal and professional curiosity.
For me, building Future Front Texas was a natural extension of my life’s work—developing connections and advocating for spaces where complex identities and authentic stories can thrive. The process of transforming #bbatx into a nonprofit truly reflected my belief that it takes responsibility, ownership, compassion, consideration, and love to actively create and maintain the inclusive spaces our communities deserve.
Through my civic involvement and years of collective work, I’ve witnessed and contributed to a nurturing, ever-evolving environment where people challenge themselves and grow from every experience. This organization has deepened my understanding of community organizing, moving beyond the boundaries of any single industry, and has given me a fuller creative life in my hometown.”
How has Future Front evolved since your term began in 2018? What are you most proud of?
“Over the years, what kept me engaged and committed was the opportunity to work alongside a passionate, multidimensional team and witness firsthand the meaningful change our programs brought to our creative community. Sustained by a sense of responsibility to this ever-growing community, I stayed because of the real impact Future Front has had: providing visibility, resources, and opportunities for Texas’s independent artists and creatives.
The organization’s evolution—from #bbatx to Future Front—reflected a sincere commitment to inclusion, experimentation, and collective growth, values which continually fueled my motivation to contribute. Additionally, I found personal fulfillment in mentoring new leaders, fostering autonomy among board officers, and ensuring our mission always remained at the center of our work. The relationships built here—with team, board, artists, and allies—have been a continual source of inspiration and renewal proving that shared leadership, creativity, and generosity can reshape cultural life in Texas.”
ABOUT XOCHI SOLIS
XOCHI SOLIS (b. 1981) is an Austin, TX-based mixed media artist and cultural strategist with over 20 years of experience. Her creative practice consistently aims to build spaces—physical, intellectual, and emotional—that explore her relationship to land, culture of place, and personal history.
Her works include collaged paintings that explore color, texture, and shape through paint, collected paper ephemera, hand-dyed and marbled paper, plastics, and found images from books and magazines. Through a practiced process of layering materials, incorporating the visual depth and illusions of photographic surfaces, Solis reflects on the visual complexities in her environment—both natural and cultural. Her work communicates a nuanced narrative about time, place, and sensation while grappling with how to represent an environment where her heritage, body, and dreams for the future co-exist.
While her practice remains rooted in mixed media, she thrives on collaborative creativity. This ethos is reflected in her participation in numerous artist residencies across the United States and Mexico, where she both nurtures and is nurtured by fellow artists. These experiences have strengthened her commitment to community-building through art, bridging her studio practice with her passion for creating innovative, collective spaces. Notably, she has been invited to the prestigious Pocoapoco Residency in Oaxaca, Mexico (Spring 2026), a gathering of international and local artists dedicated to collaboration and dialogue. In summer 2021, she participated in the pilot residency program at WRONG Marfa in Marfa, TX. Earlier, in 2016, Solis was an artist-in-residence at Pele Prints in St. Louis, MO, where she developed a series of monoprints combining her painting and collage techniques with printmaking. Her exploration of printmaking continued through collaborations with Shoestring Press in Brooklyn, NY, in 2017 and 2018.
Solis is featured among thirty artists in Collage: Contemporary Artists Hunt and Gather, Cut and Paste, Mash Up and Transform (Chronicle Books, 2014) and among forty-five artists in A BIG IMPORTANT ART BOOK (NOW WITH WOMEN): Profiles of Unstoppable Female Artists--and Projects to Help You Become One (Running Press, 2018).
Recent exhibitions include LAYERS: The Art of Contemporary Collage at Decker Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD (2025); Contemporary Ex-Votos: Devotion Beyond Medium at New Mexico State University Art Museum, Las Cruces; Gallery 400, Chicago; and Barrick Museum of Art, Las Vegas (2022–24); Rooted by Invisible Means at Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX (2020); Remedies for a Generation at Uprise Art (2020); Crawl into the Shapes the Shadow Takes at WRONG Gallery, Marfa, TX (2018); and Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place at Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (2017).
Solis has served as a founding member of multiple influential community arts organization in Austin, Texas, most recently contributing eight years as Board President to Future Front Texas. Beyond her visual art practice, she also performs as a vinyl DJ under the name Mira Mira, with a focus on preserving and performing Tejanx culture.
PS — Want to get involved with Future Front?
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