Introducing Our 2021 Creative Future of Texas Fund Recipients
Every year, Future Front awards micro-grants to women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs in central Texas. Since 2016, we’ve raised and distributed over $30,000 to celebrate and invest in important work. Meet this year’s recipients.
Today, we are proud to introduce you to this season’s Creative Future of Texas Fund micro-grant recipients.
Based in different cities around Texas, each recipient has received a $1000 micro-grant and a year of educational support from FFTX, so they can continue to nurture creativity and community-building in their own work as women and LGBTQ+ founders.
Get to know all seven recipients below:
1. TORCH LITERARY ARTS BY AMANDA JOHNSTON, POET AND WRITER
About Torch Literary Arts:
Torch Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization established to support and promote creative writing by Black women. They publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. TORCH has featured work by Colleen J. McElroy, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series that features Black women authors and allies, workshops, and retreats. Learn more online at www.TorchLiteraryArts.org.
About Amanda Johnston:
Amanda Johnston (she/her) was born in Illinois, grew up in Austin, but found her passion for poetry in Kentucky. With a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine, Amanda has authored two chapbooks (GUAP and Lock & Key) and the full-length collection Another Way to Say Enter.
Named one of Blavity’s "13 Black Poets You Should Know," Amanda’s work has been featured on Bill Moyers, the Poetry Society of America’s series In Their Own Words, and the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series. She was commissioned to curate a collection of poems for the Poetry Coalition on the theme Where My Dreaming and My Loving Live: Poetry & the Body.
Amanda also has facilitated creative writing workshops at numerous universities and literary venues across the country. Furthermore, she holds honors like the Christina Sergeyevna Award from the Austin International Poetry Festival; a joint finalist for the Freedom Plow Award for Poetry & Activism from Split This Rock; and multiple Artist Enrichment grants from Kentucky Foundation for Women.
Outside of writing, Amanda is a member of the Affrilachian Poets and has received fellowships from Cave Canem Foundation and the Austin Project at the University of Texas. She’s a Stonecoast MFA faculty member, a co-founder of Black Poets Speak Out, and founder/executive director of Torch Literary Arts. Her writing and announcements can be found online at AmandaJohnston.com.
2. VERY GOOD DANCE THEATRE BY COLBY CALHOUN, CHOREOGRAPHER AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST
About Very Good Dance Theater:
Very Good Dance Theater is a queer-led, BIPOC-centered, collective of professional performance artists. They work collaboratively to create work somewhere between the scope of dance and theatre. They seek to explore, experiment with, and expand what performance art can be and do while questioning what gives it value and why. Their work seeks to reflect the gray areas and/or the intersectionality of the human experience, and they magnify this by working in and out of multiple disciplines of performance.
Additionally, VGDT sees art as a catalyst for change, and works at the intersection of art and activism. Their work features artists from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, artists of varying races, artists of varying sexual orientations, and artists of varying genders to highlight injustice and inequity in a way that is honest and genuine. They make work that shows the world as it is, as uncomfortable as that may be, while imagining the world as it could be in the hopes that these dreams one day become our realities.
About Colby Calhoun:
Colby Calhoun (they/them) is a performance artist, choreographer, and teaching artist based in Dallas, TX. They hold a BA in Dance Studies with related studies in Theatre Production from Texas Woman’s University, where they focused on performance and choreography and, upon graduating, received the Darell Cleaveland Excellence in Choreography Award. Colby has been grateful to perform across the disciplines of music, theatre, and dance professionally all across the state of Texas.
Colby creates work with collaborative artist collective: Very Good Dance Theatre. VGDT was formed by Calhoun in the summer of 2018 in a desire to work collaboratively with creators that were often sidelined in theatre, dance, media in general, and society at large. Very Good Dance Theatre had its mainstage debut at the Festival of Independent Theatres in Dallas, TX with “The 1st Annual Gay Show" (F.A.G.S.). This show was a hit success at the Festival of Independent Theatres being awarded Best Physical Theatre of 2019 by TheaterJones. VGDT continues to make work as an independent theatre group through festivals, residencies, and other opportunities like this.
As a nonbinary biracial beauty, Colby’s work experiments with understanding the complicated intersections of identity and playing with, and exploring, the social “norms” that impose Oppression instead of Expression. Colby continues to collaborate with often marginalized artists to give a platform to important stories and perspectives, and to continue to build relationships across diverse communities.
3. EMBRACE AUSTIN BY MAGGIE DI SANZA, ORGANIZER and STUDENT
About Embrace Austin:
Embrace Austin is projects where the queer and trans Austin community gather to celebrate, share knowledge, and encourage folks to take action in supporting queer and trans people of Central Texas. Each month, starting in October, Embrace Austin will partner with another grassroots, community organization specifically geared towards serving historically marginalized queer and trans folks in Austin, in putting together a one to two-hour virtual performance of local activists, artists, writers, poets, and changemakers to share their work, experiences, and calls to action.
About Maggie Di Sanza:
Maggie Di Sanza (she/her) is a femme, queer organizer, and student at the University of Texas at Austin. They're originally from Madison, Wisconsin, where they worked with organizations like Bleed Shamelessly, the Sexual & Reproductive Health Alliance of Dane County, the Rape Crisis Center, and the Youth Climate Action Team. They recently moved to Austin, Texas to pursue a degree in English, Gender & LGBTQ+ Studies, and Human Rights & Social Justice at the University of Texas at Austin. Maggie is thrilled to be working with Embrace Austin as the Development Coordinator. Their role on the Embrace Austin team is to establish budgets for events, manage fundraising efforts, assist in writing grant proposals, research prospective donors, and initiate sponsorships to continue to strive towards Embrace Austin’s mission of fostering connections between LGBTQIA2+ Texans to make an accessible queer community.
4. SAGE STUDIO BY KATIE STAHL & LUCY GROSS, ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS
About sage studio:
SAGE Studio is a non-profit studio and gallery space in east Austin that provides artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities the materials, space, and support to produce, exhibit, and sell their artwork. SAGE (Supporting Artistic Growth and Entrepreneurship) Studio serves artists with disabilities through two programs: their Studio Program and Exhibition Program.
Through the Studio Program, artists create work in the SAGE studio space at east Austin's Canopy arts community with the guidance of practicing artist facilitators. The goal for participating artists is to explore new mediums, strengthen their artistic voice, and build a cohesive portfolio of work for exhibition. Through their Exhibition Program, SAGE puts on bimonthly art exhibitions in their gallery to showcase the work of our studio artists, alongside the work of exhibiting artists who create their work outside our studio. Though they started as a space for exclusively Texas-based artists, they now represent gallery artists from across the country. The goal of the Exhibition Program is to provide opportunities for their artists to earn a wage and to seriously pursue a career in the arts, and to carve out a place in the contemporary art conversation and wider artistic marketplace for these talented voices.
It is SAGE Studio's mission to amplify the voices of artists with disabilities, enabling them to become meaningful contributors to the social, economic, and creative life of the community. SAGE Studio has been featured in Austin Monthly and ForbesWomen, recognized by the Austin Chronicle as Austin's "Best Outsider Art Advocate," and facilitated artist collaborations with the Biden presidential campaign, Vans, and Whataburger.
about the founders:
Katie Stahl (she/her) is a practicing artist with over ten years of experience working with adults with disabilities in an art setting. She earned a BA in psychology from Dartmouth College and an MA in art education from The University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her master's thesis on Creativity Explored, one of the oldest progressive art studios in the country. In her own art practice, Katie paints under the name Houndoggle Art.
Lucy Gross (she/her) is a practicing social worker with over eleven years of experience working with adults with disabilities. In addition to her work at SAGE, she currently works at AISD’s Go Project, a transitional program for special education students ages 18–22, and The University of Texas in their inclusion program for adults with disabilities. She earned her undergraduate degree at Emerson College and her master's of social work at Texas State University.
Lucy and Katie met as art instructors at The Arc of the Arts, an art-based day habilitation center for adults with disabilities. Together, they founded SAGE Studio in 2016. They have represented SAGE as speakers at SXSW EDU in 2019 and co-curated exhibitions at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City in 2019 and 2020. They are passionate about integrating artists with disabilities into the contemporary art scene in Austin.
5. CULTURE IN MIND BY SAMANTHA BENN, HEALER
ABOUT CULTURE IN MIND:
Culture in Mind is a psychotherapy practice in Austin, TX providing therapeutic services that draw on culture for self-healing and self-discovery. Culture in Mind honors the intersectionality of each individual's experience and specializes in helping marginalized communities, queer, trans, black, indigenous, and people of color heal from white supremacy and redefine what healing/wellness looks like for them. Culture in Mind provides evidence-based practice, ancestral healing, and holistic mental health treatment that is specific to each individual's needs and experiences. Learn more at cultureinmind.com.
ABOUT SAMANTHA BENN:
Samantha Benn is an Indigenous psychotherapist in Austin, Texas that specializes in helping BIPOC individuals heal from trauma and step into their power so that they can grow into their highest selves. She is a Hood Feminist informed by Mikki Kendall's book "Hood Feminism" that spells out how mainstream feminism has left women of color behind by not first ensuring that all women have their basic needs met: safety, access to nutritious foods, quality medical care, education etc. Samantha co-facilitates monthly discussions about health disparities negatively impacting people of color in mental health care and how to create change. She also co-founded Latinx/e Libertad, a free mentorship space for Latinx/e individuals to receive support. Her work was inspired by the challenges of because it's often very challenging to finding a Latinx/e mentor and the few that are around are often overworked.
Samantha graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014 with her Master's in Social Work and has since provided therapeutic services to the most vulnerable people in Austin--those experiencing homelessness and trimorbid health concerns. She founded her private practice, Culture in Mind, this year with the intention of delivering psychotherapy in a culturally-affirming way that draws on culture for self-healing and self-discovery. Social justice, racial equity, and destigmatization of mental illness are a few of Samantha's priorities in life. Samantha values creating space and deepening connection with others--animals and humans alike.
6. ALL THE SUDDEN BY EMILY E. LEE, ARTIST
ABOUT ALL THE SUDDEN:
All the Sudden is a DIY experimental project space in Austin, Texas, founded at the height of the pandemic. A sculpture studio by day and an exhibition space and venue by night, ATS aims to benefit the art community through a wide array of informal public programming. Opportunities will include a short-term artist residency, an exhibition platform, live music events, a year-long book club, an interdisciplinary critique club, a workshop series, and a garden. Thus far, ATS has hosted four music events and one art event. With support from Future Front, we’ll have the opportunity to organize many more.
ABOUT EMILY E. LEE
Emily E. Lee is an artist and arts organizer based in Austin, Texas. She experiments with the social possibilities of form through a variety of creative iterations including site-specific sculptural installations, outdoor and ephemeral curatorial projects, writings, performances, and community work. Through her work, she wonders what gives form to experience. Lee is currently an artist-in-residence at Sweet Pass Sculpture Park’s Sculpture School in Dallas. She is the co-founder of All the Sudden.
Emily E. Lee studied at the Marchutz School of Fine Arts and received a BA with Honors in Art History, BFA in Studio art, and a BDP Certificate in Museum Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Lee also attended Penland School of Craft and Ox-Bow School of Art.
7. MAMA MANGOS BY TAYLOR HUNTLEY, HERBALIST
ABOUT MAMA MANGOS CARE:
Founded in 2020 by a community herbalist and birthworker, Mama Mangos Care curated herbal goods for the body and soul. Their product experiences assist you with creating rituals surrounding spiritual wellness, self preservation, and ancestral reverence. Mama Mangos Care takes pride in sourcing natural ingredients, participating in minimal waste business practices and contributing a portion of our sales to our Black Herbalist Fund. Their intention is to provide a physical tool to aid in connecting to your highest self. Their product offerings include body care, tinctures, herbal syrups, magical oils and whatever else they are led to conjure up!
ABOUT TAYLOR HUNTLEY:
Taylor Huntley is a multi-hyphenate creative with a passion for community care. Born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, Taylor is a Black millennial mother, spiritualist, creative space facilitator, birthworker, and an herbalist. Her passions include uplifting community wellness, deep conversations about plant medicine and the universe, and strolls through the local crystal shops. Her lifework centers on supporting families of color, holistically and intentionally. In her past life, Taylor spent years as a luxury hospitality professional so customer service and creating experiences has always been a passion.
Taylor is the creative founder of Mama Mangos Care, a line of hand-crafted herbal goods for the body and soul. Their products support the creation of sustainable spiritual self care practices. Their handcrafted goods are affordable, accessible, and rooted in culture. Their products are handmade, crystal infused and spirit led with ingredients that are natural, organic and intentionally sourced. Finally, their values are rooted in authenticity, community and self preservation
Behind The Creative Future of Texas Fund.
Every year, Future Front awards micro-grants to women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs in central Texas. Since 2016, we’ve raised and distributed over $30,000 to celebrate and invest in important work. Our applications will reopen next summer.
On Shared Memories, Nostalgia And The Power Of Good Food: Gan Bei Gals
Gabby, Michelle and Jackie talk their favorite Asian snacks, dream collaborations and most memorable events.
In light of our own rebirth, we’ve been catching up with Future Front Texas members and friends to explore vision.
Today, we’re chatting with our September studio mates, Gan Bei Gals. Gabby, Michelle and Jackie talk their favorite Asian snacks, dream collaborations and most memorable events.
As a Texas-based collective, they celebrate shared cultural experiences and Asian American nostalgia through food, stories and art. Last month, they took over our headquarters to highlight a few creatives and small business owners they’ve been working with this year.
If you missed the series, you can get to know them (and their work) below.
Photo courtesy of Gan Bei Gals.
ABOUT GAN BEI GALS
Gan Bei Gals is a celebration of shared cultural experiences and Asian American nostalgia told through food, stories and art. We are comprised of three women who grew up in the strong multicultural scene in Houston, Texas and are heavily influenced by our own explorations of dual Asian and American identity.
For us, food is how we connect not only with our culture, but also with friends, family and even strangers. We draw a lot of inspiration from our own nostalgia— foods we grew up eating and the memories, smells and feelings we remember. Our primary medium for celebrating this shared culture is events, but we also utilize art and design via digital and print graphics. (Keep a lookout for our upcoming zine!)
GET TO KNOW GAN BEI GALS:
1. What’s your day-to-day mantra?
Life is short and random—create fun when you can. Gan Bei!
2. Gan Bei Gals in 3 emojis?
Power puff girls (lol). JK. It’s 🍻🧧✨.
3. What is your vision for GBG?
As we grow and get busier, we’d like to scale in a way that doesn’t make us insanely busy in operations and management and leaves us free time to work on food and design. As for our events, we hope they only get more immersive and interactive!
4. Something you treasure?
Our shared childhood memories and our past food experiences that we are so grateful to have had. These inform much of who we are individually and many of our event ideas.
5. Something new you’re trying?
Both Gabby and Jackie are taking ceramics classes! Gabby is also taking a Vietnamese class to brush up, and Michelle is thinking about learning 3D illustration.
6. No. 1 muse?
Honestly our cats! They inspire us to enjoy life more and live in the moment.
7. Who’s your dream collaborator?
Ananas Ananas (@__ananasananas)! We set out to create interactive experiences and stories with our dinners and the experiential design of Ananas Ananas' dinners is the most immersive and thought-provoking that we've seen. Other dream collaborators whose food we go back for time and again include Nicolai of @penangshack, Abi of @theduskykitchen, and Fil n Viet (@fil_n_viet).
Photo by Jessica Joseph.
Photo by Jessica Joseph.
8. What was your childhood dream job?
We all had claimed something in healthcare or other socially acceptable job for Asian Americans, but our true dream jobs revolved around creativity and food. Between the three of us, our dream jobs included food taster/writer, chef and architect.
9. Currently snacking on…
Yuzu and black pepper shrimp chips which we had in our trailer and Cookie Wookie Kitchen's seasonal flavors.
10. You want the future of Texas to look like...
One in which BIPOC, women and queer folks have equitable rights and access to resources within a community and system that supports their growth, health and personal happiness.
11. How would you describe your creative and production process?
Our processes are extremely collaborative. We all work in creative jobs but in different fields, so we are fortunate to leverage each of our various skills and experience.
One of us might remember a fun childhood moment or get nostalgic for a certain dish, which ends up sparking an event idea. Gabby and Michelle will then work on the food component while Jackie and Michelle work on design collateral. Gabby also works on most of our PR, communications and marketing needs.
12. Go-to restaurants in Austin?
Suerte, Fil n Viet, Sazan Ramen, Koriente, Neighborhood Sushi
13. What does a day in your life consist of?
Since GBG is none of our full-time jobs, we spend the majority of our time at work. After-hours and on weekends, we explore our respective cities for new food spots and hang out at museums, bookstores and parks. Gabby and Michelle also spend quite a bit of time on recipe development and critique.
14. Proudest personal or career milestone?
This happened for all of us at different times, but our proudest career milestone is realizing that we are not tied to our parents' expectations or what we originally studied in school.
Photo by Jessica Joseph.
Photo by Jessica Joseph.
15. Favorite Asian cuisine?
So hard to pick! We all love food and aren't that picky taste-wise. For Gabby, it's probably Japanese cuisine for the simplicity, balance of flavors and quality of food preparation. For Michelle, it's Southeast Asian cuisines for the punchy mix of salty, sweet and spicy flavors. For Jackie, it's probably Vietnamese cuisine—its dietary restriction-friendly, fresh and healthy.
16. Least favorite Asian cuisine?
None! We love all of them.
17. Most memorable event you’ve produced so far?
Our inaugural Lunar New Year Hot Pot dinners at the top of 2020 just before the pandemic hit. We didn't know at the time that it would be our last live event with all three of us in Texas at the time (at least for a while), which probably makes this event even more sweet and memorable. We sold out the first dinner so fast that we opened ticket sales for a second date. Over the course of two hours, 18 people became closer friends over a spicy, steamy dinner.
18. What would you love to see more of from small businesses like yours?
More crossover collaborations with other small businesses!
19. How do you want people to feel when they attend a GBG Event?
Exultant, celebratory and curious. We want people to come as strangers, and over the course of eating or making something together, leave together as friends.
20. What are the best ways to get involved with GBG?
Get on our volunteer list! We definitely need some help for our remaining events this year, and are working on a long-term volunteer/intern program for the future.
21. What's coming up next for you?
A big, big zine launch party. Last winter, we reach out to our community and asked for family recipes and were able to select a handful of amazing recipes to feature. We've been working on the design and illustration on and off throughout 2021 and will be finishing that up soon. We'll have copies of the zine and a celebratory, Kamayan-style feast!
Want to stay involved with creators like GBG through Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
Meet Eight Community Curators Behind Future Front Texas
From chefs to leaders in tech, we work with some incredible people to bring our program seasons to life.
Each year, we work with a group of community members, aka FRIENDS, to co-curate our showcase lineups and shape the vision of our programs. From chefs to leaders in tech, every FRIEND brings a unique perspective to what we do—and helps us ensure that the 1500 exhibition and commission opportunities we offer each year are community-centered.
Keep reading to learn more about this year’s founding curatorial team.
MEET OUR FRIENDS:
AISHA LEWIS
Aisha Lewis (she/her) is the Director of Strategic Programs at Notley where she launched Beam Angel Network to provide early-stage, women-founded companies with capital and Notley Health to fund health equity solutions that increase access to care for underserved Texans. Her passion for community impact stems from various roles connecting emerging founders to resources to scale their companies and investing in innovative solutions that are solving some of the world's toughest social and environmental problems in Los Angeles, Nairobi, San Francisco, Durham, and Austin. Outside of work, she loves patio hangs, DJ-ing, eating fruit and cheese (sometimes separately, sometimes together), and traveling!
MICHELE MARTELL
Michele Martell (she/her) is a media and technology attorney and entrepreneur, with more than 30 years of experience working with brands like The Muppets, the WWE and My Little Pony. Michele provides business & legal guidance to clients who are makers, inventors, creators and builders, with a focus on the intersection of technology and entertainment. She actively mentors a diverse group via her leadership as President of the Forklift Danceworks Board of Directors, Programming Chair for Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment, Vice-Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Law bar of Austin, and Co-Chair of the Austin chapter of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
What's your vision for your work and life?
As a long-time attorney, I have learned that if I follow my passions and interests, it generates work that is meaningful to me. When I'm doing meaningful work, it feels completely integrated into my life. I love being my own boss, because it makes it easier to balance taking care of myself with taking care of clients.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
The Global Majority! Women & BIPOC running everything! Equity & community care, not extractive exploitative capitalism.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
I love getting to play a small part in an organization that I have admired since moving to Austin. Jane & the team are incredible, and the community that has been formed around FFTx is filled with inspirational women.
AMANDA VAUGHN
Amanda Vaughn, PhD (she/her) is a biochemist and science communicator with creative habits of painting, DJing, and zine-making for recharging and overall well-being. She has lived in Taiwan, a tree house, an old bar in Madrid, and aboard a cruise ship, among other locales, and gets great joy from connecting with people from all walks of life via conversation in different languages. She is infinitely inspired and challenged by the goal of animating scientific thought in playful, engaging ways that encourage awe-inducing recontextualization.
What's your vision for your work and life?
My vision of work and life is to always remain curious, and ask all the stupid (and intelligent) questions. I feel that if curiosity is lost, so is a drive to continue to grow and learn throughout life. Surrounding oneself with people, sounds, and images that inspire is essential.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
For me, the future of Texas is free range, open sourced, and communal. In order for this to even begin to reach a level of possibility, people will need to shake it up, step out of old patterns, and meet people they otherwise would not have encountered without making an effort. By intermingling communities, Texans can evolve on both a genetic and communal level, while capturing a truer sense of what it means to be from this part of the world. I hope for the future of Texas to reflect this evolved state, all while providing more opportunities for women and queer members of the community. We still have a long road to travel, but we are making and increasing awareness of the current disparity.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
Being a FRIEND gives me a bird eye's view of the org and provides the space for me to offer support as we grow our programming and community. The resilience of this community that has shone brightly throughout this pandemic era is beyond inspiring - it is *instructional* for how we can continue to thrive when our resources are limited.
CHEF JRODI
Most days, Chef JRodi aka Jen Rodriguez (she/her) plays with knives and blends colors of the earth's palette to feed, and serve others. Texas-born, Jen is the executive chef and owner of 3 small plates catering, a contemporary tapas-style catering company, specializing in culinary journeys. The award-winning DoD journalist retired her pen and paper for a knife and cutting board to share European travel through food, one plate at a time.
What's your vision for your work and life?
My vision for my work and life are interchangeable, one does not work without the other. If anything, my work leads my life.
Our vision is to transform everyday ingredients into unique dishes bringing the world of travel to our community, and great conversations back to the table.
Using similar ingredients from different cultural dishes showcases the diversity of these ingredients, and helps us to bridge the gaps between cultures through food.
One day, it’s our hope to have our own creative space (small bistro) to serve others on a larger scale. By having the necessary tools, space and equipment, 3SP would offer classes (cooking, writing, photography and business), event rental space, and pour into other entrepreneurs to help them reach their goals through networking, collaborations, grants, and partnerships.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
Together we thrive! I am an advocate for joining forces with other entrepreneurs, and persons of various backgrounds, and cultures to grow and thrive together. By understanding our neighbors, we’re able to connect in various ways without passing judgment first, and understanding later.
I’m Texas born, the Texas of my childhood and now are different. But, Texas doesn’t define who I am or how I engage with others who are not like me. I attribute my openness of engaging with other nationalities to living aboard. Many of my friends aren’t just friends to me, they’re family. We’ve learned a lot from each other’s heritage, culture and backgrounds from spending quality time with one another.
This is why I hope that Texas becomes a melting pot of all nationalities, learning, appreciating and growing with each other.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
Friends help us to connect to each other without judgment. We realize that we are either creatives, artists, entrepreneurs or fighters of injustices. At some point ,we will cross paths to support each other directly and indirectly. Friends allow us to collaborate and help us to learn from one another, support one another and grow in our respective fields. By joining forces, we build and sometimes rebuild the community to what it was essentially meant to be. Then, together we thrive, and conquer the world.
SHANNON ELDER
Shannon Elder (she/her) is a writer, editor, designer, and curator with a focus on art and social justice. She currently oversees documentary photography projects as the Managing Editor and Designer at Native Agency, an organization diversifying the journalism industry. Catch her making collages and eating tacos in Austin, Texas.
What's your vision for your work and life?
Overall I would say to maintain joy, to be in community with and care for others, and to work towards justice. I really enjoy keeping my hands in multiple projects because it keeps me learning, growing, and creatively challenged. I have been on a journey of reshaping my idea of what labor means in our society and what our relationship to labor can look like after reading the book Laziness Does Not Exist by Dr. Devon Price. Right now I'm trying to move a little slower, be more present with myself, and take time for the projects that I've been putting off for too long.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
The future of Texas is diverse, creative, and powerful. At a time where we have many coexisting challenges to overcome - whether that's rooting out systematic racism, or ensuring the right to reproductive healthcare, or protecting those who migrate to this country for a better life, or working to address the immediate needs of a dying planet - everyone has a role to take on. This is a big state filled with fierce, radical, loving people doing that work to lead us to the future we all deserve.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
I've popped through different Future Front events since I moved to Austin in the fall of 2017. Over the last few years I've kept coming back because I found a sense of community that is often difficult to come across elsewhere. I love being a FRIEND because it provides a structured way to contribute to Future Front programming, and event curation is something I have always really enjoyed. Beyond that, though, through this role I'm able to connect more deeply with others which is especially valuable to me as someone who has been working remotely.
SHANNON RIVERS
Shannon Rivers (she/her) is a local connection expert with clients featured in WWD, Forbes, and Tribeza. Her ten years of retail experience has led to a pivot into creative strategy, PR, and partnership roles, with various startups at the intersection of art and tech. Her passion for sustainability across industries and co-writing with musicians fills her free time.
What's your vision for your work and life?
My mission has been to assist clients in achieving sustainability in both their business and personal lives — the pandemic has been a lesson for me to take my own advice. Moving forward, I am looking to prioritize rest so I can continue co-agitating in both the creation and demolition of structures.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
Organizers in the South to get the support and visibility they deserve. Visible non-profits like Future Front who work to amplify other orgs expanding their reach to include all of Texas has been an important step. As someone who works in media, holding press that's not local accountable for reinforcing harmful narratives about our state is another important step.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
I think especially right now there is a universal feeling of wanting to help and not being sure where to even begin. I'm grateful to be a part of a local social justice ecosystem that allocates volunteers. Being from here, it is an opportunity to give back to an org who has given myself and the community hope.
Tess Cagle
Tess Cagle (she/her) is a photographer and writer in Austin, Texas. Hailing from the Rio Grande Valley, Tess moved to Austin to study journalism and cultural anthropology at the University of Texas. Currently, her work centers around documenting the milestones of her neighbors and community to curate heirloom-level photos that tell stories.
What's your vision for your work and life?
My vision for my work and life can be summed up in one word: Balance.
I’m striving to cultivate a work/life balance that allows me to both create work that creatively nourishes me, but also leaves ample space for life beyond a career. I’ve struggled with hustle culture and burnout for much of my adult life and this year I finally see myself building a business that supports mental, emotional, and physical sustainability.
For my work specifically, my vision is documentarian photography that’s attainable for all. Candid photos that capture the essence of our community. My goal with every client I work with is to make them feel at home in themselves — comfortable in front of the camera and in love with the person they see captured. I want to show the Insta generation that photography is not about making you look a certain way or editing away parts of your body or even manufacturing a moment for the gram — it’s a tool we use to capture a feeling, time, and place. It’s a way to create an archive of your life.
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
Vaccinated.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
Whenever I feel hopeless about the future, I’ve learned to turn to my direct community and see what I can do to help locally. I love being a FRIEND because it’s a rewarding outlet to channel that need to help. Also, watching small business owners we partner with thrive is one of the most rewarding feelings ever.
TAYLOR DAVIS
Taylor Davis (she/her) is a graduate of UT Austin's Masters of Landscape Architecture program and works for a local design firm in Austin. Understanding that systems of marginalization exist by design, as a designer, it is important that her practice actively attempts to dismantle those systems. She hopes to facilitate and design spaces for communities to utilize, and to thrive in.
What's your vision for your work and life?
I want my work to be influenced by my life experiences and I want my life to be enriched by my work
What do you want the future of Texas to look like?
I want the future of Texas to look like a culture of healing and reparations.
What do you love about being a FRIEND? <3
Connecting with talented and driven people in Austin and collaborating on amazing opportunities!
LOOKING FOR MORE?
You can meet the rest of our team here. Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
Apply For A Booth In The Front Market This Fall
The Front Market hosts digital and in-person pop-up shops, featuring creatives, designers, makers and artists from in Texas.
The Front Market is a creative community marketplace — homegrown in Austin, Texas. Produced by Future Front Texas, The Front Market hosts digital and in-person pop-up shops, featuring creatives, designers, makers and artists from in Texas.
Applications for our fall holiday season are now open through September 10, 2021 at 11:59 PM CT.
Keep reading for how to apply and everything else you need to know:
Application fees are $10, and you can purchase an application through September 10 at 11:59 PM CT.
Here are the two opportunities you can apply for:
OCTOBER 2 AND 3 — We're releasing a digital catalogue and virtual market, featuring vendors from our 2020 and 2021 lineups.
OCTOBER 16 TO DECEMBER 19 — We're hosting a series of in-person pop-up shops on select weekends at The Lakeline Mall in Austin, Texas.
If you'd like a listing in our catalogue or a booth with us this fall, now's your chance to apply. (We will not open applications again until 2022, y'all!)
WANT TO STAY INVOLVED WITH FUTURE FRONT TEXAS?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
On Mindful Manicures And Sustainable Business Models: 'Cure Studios
‘Cure Studios founders, Rachel Daily and Kristin Owen chat about their new business, welcoming spaces and why it’s fun to get a manicure at night.
This summer, in light of our own rebirth, we’re catching up with Future Front Texas members and friends to explore vision.
Today, we’re chatting with ‘Cure Studios founders, Rachel Daily and Kristin Owen, about sustainability, creating welcoming spaces in Austin and why it’s fun to get a manicure at night.
Photo by Gaby Deimeke
ABOUT RACHEL DAILY and KRISTIN OWEN
Rachel is a long time Austinite who spends most of her money on the ever evolving food landscape and her bold, multi-occasion collection of jumpsuits. She has spent the past six years working at Stitch Fix where she is a Product Manager and has two dogs and a girlfriend that own her time away from work and 'Cure. In a former life (re: college) she worked as a makeup artist and found a passion in helping people look and feel better through small acts of self care. . She is also passionate about creating visibility, opportunity, and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community and is on the programming board at StartOut. In her spare time, you will find her attempting a vast array of home construction projects that start small and somehow grow out of hand incredibly quickly.
Kristin was born and raised in Austin and has spent her career working as the Co-Founder and COO of DoStuff, hellbent on helping people find amazing things to do in their cities all over the country. Over the last decade she has spent her time investing in helping people have great experiences and find connection in their communities, discover new bands and artists, off the radar local businesses, and more. When she’s not at live shows or hiking somewhere while listening to a podcast, KO (as her friends call her) serves on the board of the Rainforest Partnership and has a deep connection to education about climate change with a specific focus on preventing deforestation. She also found that getting her nails done was one of her favorite self care exercises but could never fully relax when faced with the waste, chemicals, lack of recycling, and use of high volumes of water that have been the industry status quo to date.
WHAT IS ‘CURE STUDIOS?
‘Cure Studios is a speakeasy-style sustainable nail studio in East Austin that caters to people who want to practice a little self care. While they are starting small, their vision is to stay open late into the evening to accommodate those who can't break away during their busy days. They focus on quality waterless nail services, growing their staff through professional development and collective leadership, and making ethical business decisions.
Photo by Gaby Deimeke
Photo by Gaby Deimeke
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START ‘CURE?
Kristin and Rachel met in 2010 when they both worked at Do512. One night in 2017, when they were both taking a break from alcohol, they realized there weren’t many options for fun sober things to do after dinner. They bonded over loving their jobs but didn’t often have time for self-care due to long hours. Kristin bemoaned that they couldn’t go get a manicure in the moment and ironically, a month prior to their catch up, Rachel had tweeted "Midnight manicures don't exist and that astonishes me" - and thus, the shared vision for 'Cure was born
After doing some research, it became clear this was a need that wasn’t currently being met in Austin. They taught themselves about sanitation and products and found that while many natural nail polish lines were focused on sustainability, most salons were not. They thought: how can we make this eco-friendly, fun, professional, and still keep our day jobs? After four years of planning, research, and real estate hunting they are excited to announce that they are now open!.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL WHEN THEY WALK INTO ‘CURE?
‘Cure is driven by serving the underserved: professionals who are working during normal salon hours, parents whose only time to get a mani is when the kiddos are in bed, and people of all genders who don’t feel comfortable in a typical salon environment.
Many other professional services (think hair, skin etc) allow space for personalized care recommendations tailored to each client, but that isn’t traditionally the case for nail care. Kristin and Rachel are letting the ‘Cureists (nail techs) lead on what trends to follow, which products to use, and which services are best for the customer rather than just what is cheapest or easiest. They value their expertise and want the customer to know that they are coming from a place of caring about nails and providing a quality experience. If the ‘Cureist is genuinely excited about a product or service, then it’s usually a good sign the clientele will be too.
Rachel has lived on the eastside for 11 years and is focused on keeping the space approachable, inclusive, and community-oriented. Kristin, a long time 78704 resident, has built her entire career around helping local people find and experience local places. They acknowledge that their prices are a bit higher than some salons due to the products and services being offered but are expanding their menu to include more accessibly priced options. They also are working hard to ensure that the salon feels casual for clients, so if you come in wearing a suit or sweats you still feel welcome.
WHY IS SUSTAINABILITY IMPORTANT AT A NAIL SALON?
Kristin sits on the board of Rainforest Partnership, and is leading ‘Cure’s focus on the environment. When they bought their space, it wasn’t built out to include water and they realized this was actually a positive. Turns out soaked pedis are not only unsanitary due to waterborne bacteria risk and dry out your skin, but they actually swell your nail beds and reduces the lifetime of your polish. All of their services are soak-less with very limited water only for warm towels.
Most “natural” manicures aren’t known for their durability so ‘Cure is trying to solve the problem of how to have a cool, strong manicure while also being eco-friendly. They found the balance in focusing on efforts like biodegradable tools and polish recycling while still offering the high-quality products that customers have come to depend on.
Photo by Gaby Deimeke
Photo courtesy of Cynthia Munoz
WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT?
They have big hopes and dreams of growing beyond a nail salon but are focused on getting their foundational opportunity perfected first. Eventually, they’d like to focus on becoming a full-service self-care focused collection of studios. Self-care can look like manicures and cocktails but it also means mindfulness, sharing knowledge, and contributing to the community overall. They eventually want to create a space for continued education or yoga classes and create product lines that focus on health and sustainability.
‘Cure is open now for appointments Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 9 PM, Saturday from 10 to 8 PM and Sunday from 11 to 6 PM.
They are offering FFTX members and readers a 15% discount through october 15 using code FUTUREFRONT.
Want to stay involved with Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
We Have Officially Re-Opened: A Recap Of The Front Market And Festival
As a creative community experience, The Front showcased more than 150+ women and queer artists, designers, small business owners, performers, filmmakers and independent creatives across the state of Texas.
This past weekend, we produced The Front Market and Festival — our first-ever flagship production as Future Front Texas.
As a creative community experience, The Front Market and Festival showcased more than 150+ women and queer artists, designers, small business owners, performers, filmmakers and independent creatives across the state of Texas. With open-air and outdoor daytime markets and nighttime showcases, we saw more than 3,500 guests, raising $2,245 in donations for our Creative Future of Texas Fund.
Keep reading for a full recap of the weekend.
ON AUGUST 21 AND 22, WE EXHIBITED MORE THAN 150 SMALL BUSINESSES AT THE FRONT MARKET.
Love balm. That’s the best way to describe this year’s first-ever The Front Market.
Our vendors came from across Texas to share their work and receive support—and y’all showed up with generous hearts. Thank you for loving on our lineup!
Moreover, we appreciate y’all for rolling with us as we redesigned the market to accommodate for optimal community safety. This year for COVID-19 safety measures, capacity was limited, masks were required and half of our vendors were located outdoors in the steamy and dreamy Texas heat.
If you didn’t catch the market, you can still take a look at all of our vendors here. You can learn more about applying for the next one here.
ON AUGUST 20 AND 21, WE showcased MORE THAN 17 artists, performers and filmmakers, as part of the front fest.
To toast our return, we curated two intimate nighttime showcases, featuring local filmmakers, musicians and DJs that we collaborated with during shutdown. Hosted in collaboration with queer-everybody bar Cheer Up Charlies, every showcase was special and sweet.
If you didn’t make it out, you can still get to know all of this year’s guest artists at thefrontfest.com.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US RAISE $2245 FOR OUR MICRO-GRANTS INITIATIVES. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP AND SHOWING OUT FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING WHAT WE DO.
We could not have reopened without you. Emerging from shutdown with such a delightfully warm, safe and loving welcome has been a reminder of good times to come. We hope you’ll stay involved!
BEHIND THE FRONT MARKET AND FESTIVAL
The Front Market and Festival has emerged from what was formerly known as BABES FEST and craftHER Market. Active from 2016 to 2020, BABES FEST and craftHER Market saw more than 30,000 guests and supported more than 2000 creatives and business owners.
Now, after a year of shutdowns, pivots and existential realness, The Front Market and Festival will carry that work into the future.
We will continue platforming emerging talent across the state of Texas. We will continue to work cross-collaboratively with partners to host workshops, build community and provide opportunities to creatives and small business owners year-round. Thank you to all of our supporting brands, organizations and collaborators:
As our first flagship production, we are so grateful for your support. <3 If you are interested in becoming a partner in 2022, please email us at hello@futurefronttexas.org.
WANT TO STAY INVOLVED WITH FUTURE FRONT TEXAS?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
Meet The Front Market and Festival's 2021 Lineup
On August 21 and 22, we’re officially reopening with a weekend of pop-up shops and performances, centering emerging creatives, artists, designers and small business owners from Texas.
On August 21 and 22, we’re hosting our official reopening weekend with the launch of The Front Market and Festival. 🌍🌵
Keep reading to learn about the women and queer creatives, artists, designers and small business owners from Texas on our lineup.
PS: If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, you can grab tickets to our market and festival here.
OUR DAILY SCHEDULES:
AUGUST 20 — THE FRONT FEST MUSIC SHOWCASE AT CHEER UP CHARLIES — DOORS AT 7 PM CT
Join us from 7 to 10 PM CT on August 20 for intimate outdoor performances by Kam Franklin of The Suffers (Houston), Lorelei K (Dallas) and more.
To close the night, DJ Bragglights (Austin) will spin us out.
Tickets are $15. Click here to get yours.
AUGUST 21 + 22 — THE FRONT MARKET AT FAIR MARKET — 11 AM TO 5 PM CT EACH DAY
Come through to support more than 150 women and queer creatives and small business owners across the state of Texas. Open on August 21 and 22, expect daily DJ sets, art installations and more.
100% free. 100% open-air and outdoors.
Tickets are free or by donation. Click here to get yours.
AUGUST 21 — THE FRONT FEST FILM SHOWCASE AT CHEER UP CHARLIES — DOORS AT 7 PM CT
Enjoy a nighttime, outdoor screening of shorts and features made by local filmmakers, producers and directors. This night will also mark the first-ever in-person screening of GIRLS LIKE US from p1nkstar, which features a selection of trans artists across the state of Texas.
Tickets are $15. Click here to get yours.
MEET THIS YEAR’S GUEST SMALL BUSINESSES AT THE FRONT MARKET:
AUGUST 21 AND 22
✰ White Rhino Bags
✰ NatureTats Temporary Tattoos
✰ Junkmaille
✰ Rancho Sueño
✰ Mochila Mochila By Freay
✰ Tribe and Sol
✰ The Black Daisy
✰ Snugggfit Athletic Wear
✰ Em.Swimwear
✰ Mulle Ceramics
✰ Chantal Strasburger Ceramics
✰ Howdy Ceramics
✰ Fig Tree Pots
✰ Corrie Pocta Ceramics
✰ Flo's Earthship
✰ Sunbeam Succulents
✰ Blue Ink Moon
✰ Calavera Press
✰ Tsz Kam
✰ Jack and Bec
✰ Chloé Gray
✰ Moonhowler Press
✰ Flynn Craft House
✰ Social Justice Jewelry
✰ Soul Rebel Jewelry
✰ Little Love Parcels
✰ Abbstract
✰ YEAR 901
✰ Little Green Press
✰ Plantita
✰ Vida Antigua Vintage
✰ Host Publications
✰ Mycheryl Russ, Your Chak Therapist
✰ Temazcal Life
✰ Pure Skin Repair
✰ As You Are Acupuncture
✰ Redeemer Small Batch
✰ Herban Veda
✰ Rocky Woods Studio
✰ Kathy Phan
✰ Martha’s Contemporary
✰ Lucid Voyage
✰ Kozie
✰ Scentual Enlightenment
✰ The Flower Note
✰ The Little Gay Shop
✰ Womanly Magazine
✰ Yoko Vintage
✰ Laura Clay Art
✰ Las Ofrendas
AUGUST 21 ONLY
✰ Purse & Clutch
✰ Andrea Patin Ceramics
✰ Soy Austin Candles
✰ High Desert
✰ swatcasso
✰ Doodles Bye Sara
✰ Corey Carbo
✰ Ojitos Alegres
✰ Things by Bean
✰ Small Talk
✰ Mimiscurlz
✰ KynKia Natural Products
✰ Mountains of Thread
✰ Mazapan Paper Co.
✰ Pascal NU
✰ omghanners
✰ Fanm Djanm
✰ Origin Pink
✰ Fuerte and Fearless
✰ Serve Pottery
✰ House of Guts
✰ Ricka Made
✰ All That Raaz
✰ Madcramé
✰ Unbeweavable Fibers
✰ Hard Shapes
✰ Cowgirl UFO
✰ Allyson Lea Designs
✰ Love Art Style
✰ dd's pendants
✰ Sweet Cream
✰ KEESHcosmetics
✰ Home With Hound
✰ The Medicinal Melange
✰ Bandana of the Month Club
✰ The Sassy Aunt
✰ LOKA.HAUS
✰ Classic Childhood
✰ LAO Goods
✰ See Phillips
✰ Ivelisse Designs
✰ Stiiickky
✰ Water Carved Creations
✰ LJ Crystal Designs
✰ West of Noon
✰ karmita
✰ Screw Plastic
✰ The Butter Fairy
✰ Avidan Matcha
✰ Jake & Jubi's Snack Co.
AUGUST 22 ONLY
✰ Art Bags by Felisa
✰ groovy kiwi
✰ SoleMate Sox
✰ Katie Ann Clay
✰ Nikki Oh! Ceramics
✰ Ceramics by Tanya Zal
✰ Mocha's Home
✰ Peace and Poker
✰ The Aquariust
✰ Meg Ya Look!
✰ Kno Design by Kemba Opio
✰ Maridad Studio
✰ Chauncey and Coco
✰ Womxn on the Moon
✰ Bodhi Leaf Designs
✰ SewMuchWag
✰ Blackbird Bath
✰ Cale + Simone
✰ Cultura Campaign
✰ Flourish Fiber Art
✰ Annissa & Thread
✰ Streetnik
✰ Mary Claret Studio
✰ Karacotta Ceramics
✰ Kale & Co & Mo
✰ whit_stitch
✰ Dry Garden
✰ Raving Flamingo Flowers & Estate Jewelry
✰ Cara Bella Designs
✰ Allegory Handmade
✰ 2spiritQueer
✰ Erica Prasad Art
✰ Goddess Gatherings Apothecary
✰ Thrive Greenhouse TX
✰ Shape + Form
✰ Ruda by Alejandra
✰ Giving Ray
✰ Amelia Mickelsen
✰ Kosechas
✰ Divine Practice
✰ Terra Stoma
✰ Zip N Zap Crafts
✰ Sister Moon Ceramics
✰ The Forking Vegan
✰ Southern Girl & Co.
✰ Basic Ass Tea
✰ Street Sweets
Want to stay involved with Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
Introducing The Creative Future of Texas Fund
The Creative Future of Texas Fund is an annual Future Front Texas program where we offer $7000 in micro-grants to women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, community leaders and emerging entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas.
The Creative Future of Texas Fund is an annual Future Front Texas program where we offer $7000 in micro-grants to women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, community leaders and emerging entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas.
Applications are open now through August 31, 2021 at 11:59 PM CT.
Para una aplicación en español, haga click aqui. Mas información en español abajo, también.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A MICRO-GRANT FROM THE CREATIVE FUTURE OF TEXAS FUND:
1.) DETERMINE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE.
If you’re a woman or LGBTQ+ creative, entrepreneur or small business owner (with less than 20 employees) based in Central Texas, you’re eligible to apply for $1000 micro-grant from the Creative Future of Texas Fund, as well as a free membership to Future Front Texas.
2.) REVIEW OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
You may apply for all seven grant opportunities. All recipients will only receive one $1000 micro-grant each. This season’s micro-grants will be juried by a six-person community-led curatorial board with an lens designed from our values, mission and vision.
By filling out the digital application below, you verify that all information submitted there is true and representative of your current circumstances.
By filling out the digital application below, you understand that all submissions received after 11:59 PM CT on August 31 will not be scored and sent to our community-led jury*.
By filling out the digital application below, you acknowledge that submitting your application for a micro-grant opportunity in no way guarantees you will receive a $1000 award.
* If you’d like to see our jury’s rubric, please email hello@futurefronttexas.org.
3.) FILL OUT THE APPLICATION FORM BY 11:59 PM CT ON AUGUST 31, 2021.
As an applicant, you will receive one month free of membership to FFTX, which includes complimentary access to our community boards, creative performances and shows, entrepreneurial workshops, networking meet-ups and educational resources.
We will respond to your application via email by October 4, 2021 with your award status.
meet former recipients:
The Texas Latina Project has received a $1000 grant to fund their new feature film anthology.
Myrriah Gossett received a $1000 grant funded by Richelle Ouellette to launch her podcast production company.
Perdita Patrice, founder of Golden Girl Productions, received $500 to continue her documentary research.
Danielle Locklear received a $1000 grant from Curly Executive to invest in marketing for her therapy practice.
Tallullah Breslin received $500 to begin developing gender-affirming voice coaching through her speech therapy practice, Harmonic Speech Therapy.
Catie Lewis received $500 from Curly Executive to start foundational planning for her art business.
BEHIND THE CREATIVE FUTURE OF TEXAS FUND:
Annually, we offer $10,000 in micro-grants to women and LGBTQ+ creatives, small business owners, community leaders and emerging entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. In the last five years, we’ve re-distributed more than $30,000 to creatives, business owners and community leaders invested in gender justice, racial justice and community health.
Our 2021 funds have been made possible by our members, as well as generous donations from Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Red Bull.
Want to stay involved with Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
How To Pre-Order A Texan Feminist Tee From Future Front
Our Texan Feminist tee is back for pre-order.
Your favorite tee is back with a whole new look. 🔥
Redesigned by Juanita Segovia, our new Texan Feminist tee will be printed on soft, sustainable cotton from Everybody.World.
All proceeds from the tee will benefit the administration of our Creative Future of Texas Fund, which micro-grants money to women and queer creative and business owners in Texas by women.
Because we work with independent and ethical partners to create our merch, our tees take anywhere from four to six weeks to make.
So, in order to ensure that we have a Texan Feminist T-shirt available for you in 2021, please place your pre-order now by August 15, 2021.
Want to stay involved with Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
On Making Music, Producing And Queen Energy: Angélica Rahe
Spanish-American artist and musician Angélica Rahe chats about her upcoming show at Mohawk, producing her own debut album and her experience as a young woman in the Texas music industry.
This summer, in light of our own rebirth, we’re catching up with Future Front Texas members and friends to explore vision.
Today, we’re featuring Spanish-American artist and musician, Angélica Rahe, a current FFTX member.
Keep reading to learn about her upcoming show at Mohawk, producing her own debut album and her experience being a young woman in the Texas music industry.
Photo by Jana Cantua, Design by Alie Jackson
ABOUT ANGÉLICA RAHE
After touring around the world as musical director and guitarist for Kali Uchis on tour with Lana Del Rey, Spanish singer-songwriter ANGÉLICA RAHE (pronounced “ray”) moved to Austin in 2018 to produce her own project.
After recording an EP (Love, Translated) with Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas that year, Angélica focused on her debut album, REINA, which was released on Valentine's Day 2020. Her music reflects her journey of femininity, sensuality, and self-love, and has garnered her comparisons to Sade, Rosalía, Jill Scott and Solange.
Tell us a little bit about yourself — how did you get into music?
I’m a Spanish-American artist and musician. I create things to share parts of myself and my experience that I feel could help others appreciate parts of themselves and their experiences. Sometimes, that is a song and, more recently, that has been painting portraits. I got into music in part because my parents were performers, and music was one of the things that we shared as a family.
Our experiences were of being foreigners in Japan or Spain or America even, so music came naturally to me as it consistently contributed to our shared experience. As I grew older, I started writing songs as a way to consume the experiences of others and share my own, and I’ve been writing songs for 15 years now. Making songs with Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas and being musical director for Kali Úchis on a global tour back in 2018 are, in a way, just extensions of the journey I’ve been able to have by constantly feeding the connection to music I’ve had since childhood.
Photo by Jana Cantua
Photo by Jana Cantua
Proudest milestone?
Creating and releasing my debut album, REINA. It’s the first time I’ve ever written and self-produced a complete body of work. It was a true labor of love and life-changing experience.
Angélica in 3 words?
Woman. Artist. Queen.
What’s your No. 1 muse?
Women. And people who uplift and honor them.
What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
Empowered, worthy, felt, and drenched in self-love.
How would you describe your creative and production process?
It’s very rooted in ritual. I do my best work when I give myself time to ease into my day. I have a journaling practice that I do daily while I drink my beloved cup of coffee.
From there, I’ve started incorporating the piano into my practice, and that usually sets the tone of whether I want to start working on a new lyric or melody or a new track, or now, in the last year, start to paint. I taught myself how to paint with oils, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me creatively. I really try to avoid forcing things in any way, both in art and in life. So when I’m not flowing musically as much, I pick up my paint brush. Some days, I’ve realized productivity is not doing any of it.
On days where none of this feels right, I’ll do something that fills my well. Yoga, plants, cooking, hunting for vintage treasures, taking a walk with a friend or a run around my neighborhood, or spending time with my love—all of these things can sometimes be the most productive thing. I make my best art when I take the best care of myself. (And yes, I still have to remind myself of this all the time because I definitely do have perfectionist tendencies.)
You've collaborated with a lot of cool people in the music industry. What has that experience been like?
I spent almost seven years living in LA before moving to Austin and was fortunate to collaborate with a lot of incredible and very successful artists, songwriters and producers during my time there. But I must say my experience coming here and deciding to develop my own personal project has been the highlight of my career so far. Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas, Grupo Fantasma) was the first person I had the honor of working with when I arrived. We recorded a couple songs on my first EP “Love, Translated”—and I remember feeling so overwhelmed by how someone with his talent and track record treated me with so much respect and humility.
As a young woman in the industry environment in LA, I constantly felt the need to prove my worth when I entered a room or writing session, being measured by how many Grammy wins or record deals or Billboard hits I didn’t have and ultimately always having to fill a support role as a songwriter or background singer/guitarist for the artist(s) that had all these things, as a way to “get my foot in the door.”
So, I can’t understate how powerful it was for me coming here and having this experience working with people like Adrian and, later, the incredible musicians that played on my album REINA—namely Nick Clark (Kanye, H.E.R., Demi Lovato), Cleon Edwards (Erykah Badu, Jill Scott) and Jake Sherman (Nick Hakim). I mean, these are literally some of the most talented musicians out there. From the get go, all of them truly were in service of my vision; they let me lead and took me seriously. It was life-changing for me to feel that.
I can’t be more grateful to all of them for giving me that gift, which ultimately lead me to also see myself in this light.
What are you most excited about for your upcoming show?
This show is really important to me because it’s my first time performing with my band in a year and a half; literally since my album release show in February 2020. At the time, I was getting ready for a 26 city tour across the U.S. and Canada scheduled for March/April, which got cancelled due to the pandemic.
Honestly, I was heartbroken because getting things to that point had taken years of planning and hard work. So, I’m super ready and grateful to have the opportunity to be on stage again and share space and connection with this amazing community that has really been integral to my growth as an artist.
You can purchase tickets here.
Photo by Sophia Lawson
Photo by Jana Cantua
Want to stay involved with Future Front Texas?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.