2025 Impact Report: A Record-Breaking 26,000+ Visitors
From welcoming 26,000 visitors (breaking our previous record of 20,000) to hosting more than 200+ cultural events across three seasons, this year was transformative for Future Front’s staff, team, volunteers, members and creative community.
Continue reading for some of 2025’s highlights and takeaways.
3 BIG WINS:
① 26,309 visitors across public markets, festivals & creative workshops
② $180,000+ in direct commissions and contracts to 500+ Austin-local artists and Texas creatives
③ 250+ free arts & creative community exhibitions in Austin, Texas
TOP 10 GROWTH MOMENTS:
No. 1 — Across three seasons of public markets, festivals, shows & community programs in 2025, we welcomed 26,000+ visitors, opening up $180,000 in commissions and contracts for 500+ independent creatives and artists in Texas. Despite changes in the federal and local landscape for arts funding, this was a 40% increase since 2024.
No. 2— We hosted 200+ free creative community gatherings at Future Front on 1900 East 12th—from craft workshops and art shows (like History In The Making, Spilled Fruit and Heavy, Heavy, Heavy) to panels and performances. We were able to continue waiving rental fees for Austin residents nearly 75% of the time.
No. 3 — Through The Front Market’s Spring and Fall Seasons, we exhibited 400+ independent creatives, designers, makers, artists, small business owners and chefs from Texas, generating an estimated $1M in economic support.
No. 4 — The Front Festival had another beautiful year supporting 35 women and LGBTQ+ artists, musicians and filmmakers. Across all four days, the through-line theme for this year’s festival was an experimental blend of contemporary and classic lenses on Texas culture. Each night converged to present a future-forward lineup that ultimately brought 900 guests together across generations.
No. 5 — 127 volunteers, board members, community curators and collaborators joined us throughout the year to contribute 1750+ hours of support Future Front’s programs. (This is the largest number of active volunteers in our history.)
No. 6 — We brought back Community Clubs, which saw 27 different Future Front members curate and host free creative sessions for 500+ community members.
No. 7 — We presented 25+ community partnerships and fiscally sponsored projects for free arts healing and creative education workshops, like Broad Studios’ Clubhouse’s Ceramics Fellowship (which provided 13 Austin residents with free six-week ceramics programs) and Listening Sessions for LA (an artist-led fundraiser by 40+ Austin musicians for the LA wildfires).
No. 8 — We worked with local and national organizations like Highlander Center, SisterSong and more to host interactive art exhibits and community teach-ins on the artistic, cultural and creative impact of justice and democracy. This year’s themes centered Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights and Texas Voter Education.
No. 9 — We began developing the Future Front Framework, a creative leadership curriculum around community design, public arts, cultural curation, small business education, storytelling and adaptive leadership.
No. 10 — We were recognized for our work by a number of partners, sponsors and grant-makers, including the Texas Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. We continued creative community design projects with Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, The LINE Hotel Austin, Pease Park, Red River Cultural District, Waterloo Park and more, too.
For a closer look at this year, head to Future Front’s blog & Instagram (@futurefronttexas).
Your attention made this possible.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, GRANT-MAKERS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
FUTURE FRONT’S 2025 SEASON WAS SUPPORTED IN PART BY:
THANK YOU TO OUR MAGNIFICENT STAFF, BOARD AND ADVISORS, TOO. WE WOULD NOT BE HERE WITHOUT YOU.
