2017's Impact Report: To Bloom Is To Resist

You cannot threaten me
by forcing me into the ground.
Pack the soil solid.
Rub my face into the dirt.
I will take root in this earth,
like my mother and her mother did.
In a few weeks, I will sprout quietly.
My leaves waxy
my stem thick
my petals soft.
How?
How did she continue to exist?
Darling, this is how flowers grow.
To bloom is to resist.

— Jane Hervey, #bbatx Executive Director and Founder
written in response to 2017


Thank you for blooming with us this year. Read on for a bite-sized synopsis of #bbat'x 2017 Impact Report.

(BUMP CO-FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER LESLIE LOZANO'S BEST OF '17 PLAYLIST WHILE READING.)

In 2017, #bossbabesATX hosted 47 events, with more than 15,000 attendees.

By the numbers, we hosted:

  • 15 showcases featuring work by emerging women-identifying, filmmakers, artists, artisans
  • 12 community dialogues discussing professional development, civic engagement and gender equality
  • 10 community meet-ups for artists, creatives, thought leaders and entrepreneurs
  • 6 professional and personal development trainings
  • 4 cultural exchange events, facilitating relationships between our Austin community and abroad

Through these events, our consulting services for institutions and businesses interested in inclusivity and diversity, as well as our digital programs, we accomplished the following:

  • Connected 300+ women-identifying and nonbinary makers, artisans, independent entrepreneurs and artists directly to new customers, clientele and financial opportunities
  • Provided pro-bono promotional tools to 500+ women-owned businesses and women-led nonprofits
  • Showcased more than 900+ women-identifying and nonbinary artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and business owners through our programs
  • Fostered individual professional development for 16 emerging Texan artists
  • Fundraised $7,000+ for nonprofits that provide services we do not offer that support the financial and social empowerment of women and girls in our culture, communities and government
  • Facilitated the distribution of information and formation of coalitions between 25+ local nonprofits and businesses invested in inclusivity and diversity
  • Provided a platform for nonpartisan political dialogue to more than 1500+ community members

In 2017, we TRANSFORMED:

  • BABES FEST from a one-day event into a 3-day comedy, music and film festival.
    • Our second-annual BABES FEST was held in July of 2017, showcasing 50+ interdisciplinary acts and hosting 1500+ attendees. Get the recap here.
  • craftHER Market into a biannual Spring and Fall pop-up community space. 
    • From our 2016 craftHER meet-up series, we produced craftHER Market, a one-day shopping, resources and educational event in Fair Market. The market had its first run in October 2016, and in 2017 we doubled its impact. This year, we provided more than 200 vendors a space to share and sell their work with 7,000+ community members..
  • Meet Her Hands into two-week exhibitions.
    • Last year marked the start of our summer salon series with the Elisabet Ney Museum, a three-part showcase highlighting three individual artists and their work. This year, each showcase was coupled with a two-week exhibition.
  • SHE TALKS into a more impactful, educational series.
    • This year, we reprogrammed our dialogue series to spur attendees into action. Every panel was accompanied with detailed guides, recaps and action items to provide a more practical and applicable understanding of entrepreneurialism and forward-thinking personal and professional development.
  • Our language.
    • We've been little for quite a while, and 2017 marks the year we officially became more than a community organization. We're a nonprofit with year-round programming and services, and we've got a little staff of two! Thanks to the gift of language, you can now better understand our services, productions and impact.

In 2017, we INTRODUCED:

  • ISB(abe)N
    • We introduced an online and offline feminist book club, featuring works by women-identifying authors, with more than 200+ active readers.
  • State of the Uterus
    • We introduced our annual party for progress, raising more than $6,500 for community health and women's rights. (Come out for the 2nd-annual event on Jan. 26!)
  • Community Caucus
    • Based on submissions from our community, we hosted a nonpartisan civic engagement conference, providing a platform to nonprofits and thought leaders to introduce their new ideas and understandings surrounding sensitive political issues, like reproductive rights, immigration, appropriation and more. (Come out for the 2nd-annual event on Feb. 15!)
  • BEYOND: ATX and BEYOND: DC, which gave way for #WORK.
    • We hosted personal and professional development conferences in Austin and DC with Cee Smith Media and General Assembly titled BEYOND: ATX and BEYOND: DC. In 2017, we'll be consolidating this conference into #WORK, a pop-up concept exploring approaches to life as an entrepreneur or creative.
  • Our programming committee
    • Internally, we created a volunteer programming committee to oversee our mission as a nonprofit and better shape our productions as a 501C3 serving the community.

IN 2018, we're saying hello to:

A whole lot.

With the programs we established this year and a host of new partners, we could not be more ready for 2018. We are looking forward to providing an even larger platform of visibility, outreach and financial opportunity Texas-based women artists, women-owned businesses and nonprofits (and BEYOND) in the new year. We are not blinded by struggle or success, and we will stop at nothing to create and sustain community networks that financially and socially empower women and girls.

PS: It might not seem like much, but a little goes a long way. Whether your shop local, advocate for women's rights at work, stand up against racism, fundraise for nonprofits you care about or simply resist through joy, you have agency. Everything we have accomplished has been through the power of collective action, thanks to the combined efforts of more than 15,000 individuals. Please remember that you are not your yesterday. You are a learning, breathing, evolving, wonderful living thing. You are the Beyoncé of your own life.

And we are 110% here for it.

Thank you for believing in us, too. We're ready for 2018. #supportwomenartists #supportwomeninbusiness

Let's go,
Jane Hervey (Executive Director and Founder) and the #bbatx team

PS: If you feel like gettin' a little nostalgic, we 10/10 recommend going through our 2017 Top Nine Moments at #BBATX.

Photo by Jinni J for Unity in Color: Austin

Photo by Jinni J for Unity in Color: Austin

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