The Front Market Spring 2024 Season at Distribution Hall: The Official Recap
As our Spring 2024 Season Finale, we took over distribution hall in Austin, Texas for one weekend only—exhibiting 160+ creatives and welcoming 3,500+ visitors.
As our Spring 2024 Season Finale, we took over distribution hall in Austin, Texas for one weekend only—exhibiting 160+ creatives and welcoming 3,500+ visitors. Keep reading for a full look at this season’s impact.
All photos by Yvonne Uwah
this season’s three highlights:
✰ No. 1 — 160+ Vendors Exhibited & 3,500+ Visitors Welcomed
We exhibited more than 160 women and LGBTQ+ creatives and independent business owners across Texas, with 3,500+ visitors joining us each day. (Even in torrential rain!)
✰ No. 2 — 100% Community-Led CURATION & PRODUCTION TEAMS
It took two full-time team members, four part-time staff members, 30 volunteers and curators, 250+ collaborators and six months of planning to open The Front Market’s Spring 2024 Season.
✰ No. 3 — $1,000+ DONATIONS RAISED, $10,000+ In Commissions & Contracts DISTRIBUTED
Thanks to support from our members, volunteers and sponsors at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Topo Chico, The City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division, Waymo, Texas Commission on The Arts, Moontower Rentals and Distribution Hall, we were able to keep the market free and open to the public, with complimentary community workshops each day. The market’s production and programming generated more than $10,000 in commissions and contracts for women- & LGBTQ-owned creative teams in Austin, too.
THIS SEASON’S VISUAL RECAP:
three WAYS TO STAY INVOLVED:
✰ Head to thefrontmarket.com (click here) to tap into the SPRING 2024 Season lineup at anytime.
✰ Remember why spaces like The Front Market matter.
We dive deeper into what supporting women and LGBTQ+ vendors, as well as our local creative and small businesses communities, means at thefrontmarket.com/mindset.
✰ Explore all we do at Future Front—and find what’s for you—at futurefronttexas.org/programming.
Thank you to our sponsors, partners and friends.
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Thank you to our sponsors, partners and friends. ✰
THE FRONT MARKET WOULD NOT BE ABLE to nurture creative communities without support from our sponsors, members, staff, volunteers, friends and you. Thank you.
How To Host A Community Club with Future Front
From drawing sessions to unconventional book clubs to summer period series, learn from our 2022 Club Hosts on how to bring a Community Club to life.
Community Clubs are intimate gatherings hosted by Future Front members in Austin, Texas.
Grounded in nurturing creativity, community, professional resilience (or all three!), clubs are a way to make space for the things we need to learn, the habits that support our growth and the people who remind us why we’re here.
We launch a new round of clubs every summer, and this year our Open Call for ideas has returned. Whether you’d like to host a club or attend a club, keep reading for some background on these sweet series, as well as meet a few of our 2022 Club Hosts.
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON COMMUNITY CLUBS.
⭑ What is a Community Club?
01. Community Clubs are designed to nurture creativity, community or professional resilience.
02. Meeting regularly, all clubs work to achieve one purpose, like:
Mastering a skill
Nurturing a habit
Celebrating / supporting something everyone in the club loves
03. Clubs usually have 10 to 20 active members throughout the year—and they’re seasonal. A club might meet once a month from February to October, for example, or maybe they’ll meet every other week during the Spring, etc.
04. Clubs must be hosted by Future Front members and available to all members to attend. (They can be open to everyone to join, though—it just depends on whether or not the host decides to make their club public!)
⭑ How often do Community Clubs meet?
In order for a Community Club to thrive, it’s got to meet on a regular basis! For a Community Club to be listed with Future Front, it must run on a weekly, bimonthly, monthly or quarterly schedule.
⭑ What does a Community Club host do?
A club host sets the tone and the purpose of their club. A club host selects the intention and overarching goal of the club.
A club host runs their club autonomously, with support from Future Front. A club host sets the agenda, location, medium and/or topic for every club meeting using Google Calendar or an alternative calendar tool. They also check in with members of the club at least once a month via email, text or some other communication method.
A club host wants to be a good host. If you’ve become a host, you’re interest in community-building as a practice, sharpening your facilitation skills and practicing curatorial work! Hosts meet with the Future Front team once a quarter to check in on their club, share resources, learn from growth edges, have fun and hang! Hosts are responsible for:
Keeping the club free and safe by staying curious and asking for feedback
Having and starting conversations, as well as facilitating space for others to share
Understanding everything that is going on within the club, etc.!
⭑ Can’t imagine what makes for a good club? Or what joining one might look like? We got you! Let’s take a look at Hike Club.
Two years ago, Future Front member Stephanie of Storied Series decided to list her own bimonthly Hike Club as a Future Front Club. The club met every other Sunday at different trails in Austin, and the goal was simple. The club was designed for people who wanted to get outside—and just needed to find the time, space and company to do it. (After listing the club with Future Front, Hike Club doubled in size and Stephanie still runs it today!)
second, hear from some of our 2022 hosts.
This Is Not A Book Club — Hosted by Amanda Johnston, Founder and Executive director of Torch Literary Arts, an organization supporting creative writing by Black Women in Texas
✹ How would you describe This is Not A Book Club?
This Is Not A Book Club is a low-key meet-up where book lovers come together to support local independent bookstores, learn more about Torch Literary Arts, and meet new people. It’s not a book club, but we do talk about all things literary and encourage everyone to find a great book to take home. We have treats and book giveaways, too!
✹ Why do you think sharing literature within our communities is important?
Authors and freedom of speech are under attack. Most books being challenged, censored, or banned are overwhelmingly by and/or about BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people. What gets published becomes our perception of the world.
Representation matters in publishing and across media, so it is vital that we support diverse writers who dare to tell the stories that make us think and ask questions. It is vital that our communities read and support our indie bookstores and local libraries so free thought and imagination can inspire generations to come.
“We have an abundance of creators, organizers, and heart workers in our community. Feed into them and receive the bounty that will grow in return. ”
Summer Period Club — Hosted by Kate Morton, a dietitian, menstrual health advocate and the founder of Funk It Wellness
✹ How would you describe Period Club?
Period club was a chance for everyone to come together and build community around menstrual education. We had so much fun—we did a different craft each month and just hung out and talked about all the things that society tells us are "TMI.”
✹ Talking about menstrual cycles and things can be a bit intimidating! How do you creatively approach these kinds of subjects? What got you interested in periods from the start?
I have to give our club members a lot of credit. They came 100% ready to dive in and talk about all things cycles. One thing we found helped everyone feel comfortable and have fun was doing a different craft activity each month. I think having something to do with your hands and creating something new can help you feel more comfortable and bonded to the people around you.
✹ What kinds of topics did you explore in the Period Club? Why are they important?
We explored cycle tracking, what is a normal period, how to advocate for yourself in a health care setting and many many other important aspects of menstrual health but most importantly we all shared our lived experience and I think that is where the most valuable education came from.
Money Moves Club — Hosted by Lina Zuluaga, artist, UX designer and Future Front Texas board member
✹ Talking about money can be a bit intimidating! How do you creatively approach these kinds of subjects? What got you interested in making this a community conversation from the start?
It really IS intimidating! There is no formula for everyone because our stories are so different but the thing we have in common is the fact that we all have to deal with money. Money means different things to all of us, it might mean security or a way to measure success but at the end of the day, we’ve all made mistakes and have had wins when it comes to money, whatever that means to you personally. I try to approach from a place of curiosity and kindness every time we get together. There is a lack of education around money and most of us have to hope what our parents told us about it is true, and figure it out ourselves. Sometimes learning the hard way is what we have in common and I use that commonality to have a conversation and share what we’ve learned because someone else is probably going through it.
✹ Any interesting stories from your club or things you’ve learned through your club that you’d like to share with us & the community?
There are too many and that’s why I started a Money Moves blog! I wanted to keep track of what our conversations are about for the members who can’t make it in person, I definitely try to encourage people to come to the chats but it's nice to look back in the blog and see all the resources we’ve shared in one place. Here is the link to it, if anyone is interested!
Skechers Drawing Club — Hosted by Cynthia Muñoz, artist, social impact leader and Future Front Texas board member
✹ What’s your favorite thing to make as an artist?
I've always been drawn to images of people. Most of my work focuses on self-portraiture simply for convenience because I'm a cheap model!
✹ What do you like most about drawing with other people? Or just collaborating creatively with others in general?
As a procrastinator, having a specific event or reason to draw forces me to actually do it versus just thinking I should do it sometime. A lot of people have told me that they feel the same way, thus Skechers was born! I really enjoy that the majority of people who attend are people I don't know so it's nice to see new faces and it's fun peeking at what they're drawing because everyone's style is so unique. I feed off other people's energy and enthusiasm so having collaborators keeps me motivated and inspired.
✹Do you have any advice for people interested in attending Community Clubs, or just being in community, in general?
Just show up! Community Clubs are meant to have a low barrier to entry so if you're interested at all, just try one and see if you like it. Being in community in general is a bit harder, but I find that attending events is an easy way to check out a group that allows you to show up as you are. You can be quiet and observe or you can start mingling right away!
*To host or join a Community Club in 2023, head to futurefronttexas.org/clubs for more information.
On The Mycelium Of Cultural Movements: Highlander Center x Future Front
While Austin celebrated SXSW during Spring 2024, Highlander Center popped up at The Future Front House for all-day sessions, exploring the intersections of storytelling, movement-building and the artistic, cultural and creative mycelium of southern people’s struggles for justice and democracy.
While Austin celebrated SXSW during Spring 2024, Highlander Center popped up at The Future Front House for all-day sessions, exploring the intersections of storytelling, movement-building and the artistic, cultural and creative mycelium of southern people’s struggles for justice and democracy.
From an experiential pop-up library (straight from Highlander’s archives in Tennessee) to an evening film screening and panel discussion, the day reflected conversations among artists, organizers and friends inviting us all to imagine the future.
a few highlights:
✰ NO. 1 — RESONANT cultural strategy starts with our stories.
Throughout the day, Highlander Center’s youth team created space for us all to voice the strength of our stories and the storytellers who have shaped us. Our favorite storytellers were often our caretakers, our mothers, our movement-builders—the people who remind us that we are alive and here and now. Many of us touched on the power of truthful, supportive gossip in an oppressive South, too, and the healing that comes when a quiet story gets the chance to be loud.
✰ NO. 2 — we are the mycelium we want to see in the world.
Throughout the day, we explored the somatics of movement-building. We broke bread with Highlander Center’s culinary team, we clapped hands and improvised with Jenae Taylor. Like the mushrooms in our meals, we were a tiny but mighty network of energy all day long—witnessing and testifying.
✰ NO. 3 — our personal & public movements DESERVE OUR BEAUTY and our honestY.
To close the day, we reflected on “A Place of Rage,” with Futurelands organizer Emma Robinson and guest speakers Eden Hakimzadeh and Breya Monae. Together, they invited the audience to encourage emergence, integrity and beauty in our movement work, modeling in real-time the art of a welcoming and safe conversation among organizers.
Through their shared dialogue, we witnessed grief, disappointment, gratitude and hope for the justice principles that shape culture today. Their conversation was a reminder that our movements deserve more than our apathy—they deserve honesty, brilliance and beauty, too.
FUTURELANDS’ VISUAL RECAP:
Did you miss Futurelands?
You can learn more about all of the LGBTQ+ artists, makers, creatives and organizations who joined us in 2024 here. For details on future events, stay tuned on Future Front’s calendar.
Information Is Care: An Evening With Artist Autumn Breon
For one day only during SXSW Spring 2024, we were the official tour Texas stop for Care Machine, Los Angeles-based artist Autumn Breon’s latest installation, a traveling beauty and sexual health vending machine. To celebrate, Future Front became The Care House: a literal and figurative community salon, in collaboration with Plan C.
For one day only during SXSW Spring 2024, we were the official tour Texas stop for Care Machine, Los Angeles-based artist Autumn Breon’s latest installation, a traveling beauty and sexual health vending machine.
to celebrate, Future Front became The Care House: a literal and figurative community salon, in collaboration with Plan C.
Together, we hosted the community for an evening of art (and adornment), exploring reproductive justice, featuring a talk with Autumn Breon herself, community-care panels, an art show, mini-facial stations, tooth gems and more! (You can learn more about Autumn and everyone involved here.)
CARE HOUSE’S VISUAL RECAP
INFORMATION IS CARE.
did you miss the care house?
You can learn more about all of the artists, makers, creatives and organizations who joined us in 2024 here. For details on future events, stay tuned on Future Front’s calendar.
The Work Conference 2024: A Curiosity Tradition
On February 17, 2024, we hosted our annual WORK Conference with 200 of y’all at Robert B. Rowling Hall on UT Campus.
⭑ ✺ ✰ ✹ This is a space to explore your work. ⭑ ✺ ✰ ✹
On February 17, 2024, we hosted our annual WORK Conference with 200 of y’all at Robert B. Rowling Hall on UT Campus. Through hands-on workshops, talks and sounding board sessions, we explored community, entrepreneurship, storytelling and wellness in creative industries and the arts.
Keep reading for a look at the Work Conference 2024.
All photos by Yvonne Uwah
BASK IN THE VISUAL RECAP.
Meet our 2024 speakers.
Thank you to our sponsors, partners and friends.
✰
Thank you to our sponsors, partners and friends. ✰
Launched by Future Front in collaboration with TEXAS McCombs in January 2018,Work emerged from conversations between women and LGBTQ+ leaders in creative industries, tech, nonprofit communities, small business & the arts.
Now, this one-day annual gathering serves as a moment to share stories, community-source inspiration and get real about the frameworks required to do big work. We would not be able to produce WORK without support from our sponsors, members, staff, volunteers, friends and you. Thank you.
How To Say No: Four Questions To Ask Yourself When Setting Work Boundaries
Here are four of the questions Flores asks herself before making a work decision that will impact her time and available energy.
On Saturday, August 22, we hosted WORK, our biannual conference examining creative and entrepreneurial approaches to work. That summer, our theme was reset—so we explored everything from leadership in times of renewal to reevaluating the values present within our work.
In recapping the conference’s discussions, we chatted with Vanessa Flores, principal at Colors of Austin Counseling and Brave and Well, about her session on boundary-setting. Flores has joined us for a few of our virtual events and talks in the last few months, and today we’d like to share some of her talks’ takeaways.
Editor’s Note — This blog post was written and compiled by Future Front Executive Director Jane Hervey and reflects takeaways from talks and interviews with Vanessa Flores. It was originally published in August 2020.
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Flores
Here are four questions to ask yourself FOR better boundaries at work:
1.) Does this decision reflect my values?
Understanding our boundaries and priorities takes a bit of self-reflection and examination, too. It can be difficult to understand what kind of work is best suited for our needs and goals, as well as our values. To better clarify what’s a yes and no for you, Flores recommends reflecting on your values.
“I can’t be the yes person in all things. I am going to engage in work and collaborate with people who I feel passionate about and align with my values as a person and with my business. I’ve also decided I'm not doing anything for free anymore, and that’s been something really hard to sit with because access is a value I hold. My hope is that the tables I am a part of honor all parts of my identity and value what I can bring. Declaring that has been really freeing,” Flores said.
2.) Does this decision infringe on my sacred time—or protect it?
We all need space to rest and recharge, and our boundaries around work time and personal time will always be in flux. Sometimes, we need more rest. Sometimes, we need more time for family. Sometimes, we need to take time away from work to handle a crisis or heal. For example, right now, many of us are grappling with the day-to-day nuances of living (and working) through a pandemic. Flores recommends taking your own capacity and environmental factors into account before saying yes to things. Does this decision infringe on your sacred time—or protect it?
“As a country, we’re experiencing collective grief and trauma. The spaces we are confined to right now have become the space for all life. There is no space for separation. We are teaching, grieving, experiencing trauma, working, eating all in the same space everyday. It’s important to be kind to yourself and to take time and take space and create a degree of separation between work and life in order to keep moving,” Flores said. “I have to understand that my capacity is lower, and I have to take care of my team. I restructured my schedule. I only work Tuesday through Thursday because that’s when we have childcare. I have to be really protective of my time. I create buckets in my schedule that are categorized for supporting others and supporting myself.”
3.) How does this decision feel in my body? Do I feel tired? Excited? Anxious?
When it comes to making decisions, our bodies often have a lot to tell us. Tracking the way a decision feels can be a helpful tool for deciding what to do, too. By tuning into our emotions, we are better able to discern between what feels like excitement versus anxiety or burnout versus disinterest.
”You’ve got to listen to your body. If you’ve slept 10 hours and you’re still tired, that’s your body telling you something,” Flores said.
4.) If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?
At work, it can be easy to say yes to everything. In many cases, saying yes feels good—or simply easier than saying no. We may also say yes, because we feel pressured to please or we feel like a yes is what’s expected of us. If you can, Flores recommends taking a minute to pause and unpack before you take something new on. Ask yourself: If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to? Is this a priority for me?
“I am a recovering perfectionist,” Flores said. “I have a tendency to over-book myself when I feel like I’m not good enough or I need validation or I don’t think I’m busy enough.”
LOOKING FOR MORE?
ABOUT VANESSA FLORES — Vanessa Flores is the founder of and principal therapist at Colors of Austin Counseling. Colors of Austin Counseling is an intentionally diverse multidisciplinary group practice that provides counseling services in person and online within the state of Texas. They are social-justice oriented in their practice and inclusive in our work within the community. Their goal is to reduce the barriers that exist when it comes to mental health support and to provide high quality clinical services to all regardless of race, gender, and/or socioeconomic status. (They currently partner with Future Front on our Community Leaders of Color Mental Health Fund Initiative.)
ABOUT FUTURE FRONT’S WORK CONFERENCE — WORK is a a day of workshops and talks curated by Future Front. Join us annually to hear creatives and founders explore the messy nuances of growth, collaboration, leadership, identity, storytelling, equity, wellness—and all the other things we need to do our best work. Click here to learn more.
How To Nurture Abundance And Prevent Burnout: A Guide For Independent Creative Business Owners
In this Future Front guide, licensed therapist and creative founder Davia Roberts guides us through three journaling questions that’ll put you on a better path to burnout prevention and work-life boundaries.
This summer, we’re checking in with our members and friends on the meaning of abundance.
In this journaling guide, licensed therapist and work healing specialist Davia Roberts (our featured Minding Your Business speaker this season) takes us through daily practices for preventing and recovering from burnout as independent creatives and small business owners.
About Davia:
Davia Roberts (she/her) is a licensed therapist with a focus on racial equity, mental health, and well-being. She is a lifelong introvert who managed to make an entire career centered around talking to people. Despite the introvert stereotypes, she comes alive when she gets to engage in meaningful conversations about racial equity, mental health, and well-being. The thing she is most proud of doing was a 12-month sabbatical that prioritized her own well-being. Her sabbatical motivated her to build a business that helps other professionals break through burnout and shame. This work has expanded to therapeutic programming for non-profit organizations, universities, and companies so that mental health and wellness are embedded into the culture of each organization.
Below, Davia shares her top 3 tips on nurturing your mental health—as an independent creative or small business owner.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is a syndrome caused by chronic work stress that has gone unmanaged. Typically, there are three main characteristics:
exhaustion
difficulty to perform at a particular level
feeling checked out/pessimistic about your work
Usually, we associate burnout with 9-to-5 jobs. Due to this association, it’s not a surprise that some people look to self-employment as an escape from unending fatigue. Unfortunately, it’s important to know that creative careers and entrepreneurship aren’t the magical solutions to avoiding burnout. If not careful, creatives and small business owners can recreate the same toxic environments that initially led to their burnout.
Instead, I encourage self-employed professionals to reimagine a career that fits their personal and professional needs with intentional practices and boundary setting.
Here are 3 questions I suggest to every creative and entrepreneur to ponder.
No. 1 — What beliefs do you need to unlearn about your work/career?
Set a timer for two minutes and write down all the beliefs you’ve held about work and your career. Don’t worry about them “making sense.” Just write what comes to mind.
After the two minutes are completed, review your beliefs and identify which ones need to be reshaped so they can benefit your good. It’s possible that some of the beliefs can’t be redeemed and need to be completely replaced. (Ex: My income dictates my worth.)
It’s important to be clear on the beliefs you hold. Our beliefs greatly influence our actions and impact how we see ourselves in relation to work. When we can recognize that we’re making decisions based on unhealthy beliefs, we can make non-judgmental and compassionate choices that better serve us.
Here are some examples on how to revise the beliefs you arrive at within this exercise:
Example No. 1
Original Belief: I’ll know I’m successful when I’ve earned 6 figures and I’m featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Revision: My definition of success is the only one that matters. Each day, I get to define success for myself.
Example No. 2
Original Belief: The only way to be successful is to work 24/7.
Revision: I can be successful without working around the clock.
Example No. 3
Original Belief: If I want to make it big, I have to accept any opportunity that comes my way.
I will not operate from scarcity. I can discern the opportunities that are aligned for me.
No. 2 — What boundaries allow you to show up as your best self?
Boundaries aren’t just for friends, family and romantic relationships. They’re for every element of our lives and they’re especially important when it comes to our career. Here are a few areas to consider, if you’re an independent creative, founder or small business owner.
✰ Personal Boundaries:
How many hours do you want to work per week?
What work hours are the best for your energy levels or lifestyle? You don’t have to work traditional business hours, if that’s not ideal for you.
How will you incorporate breaks into your day? How often will you take vacation time? It’s easy to skip lunch and spend the entire day staring at your screen as you answer emails, complete projects, or research business plans. It’s important to build schedules that prioritize genuine breaks, whether it’s a lunch break or holiday break. Put them on the calendar and honor them.
What are realistic project turnaround times? Word of advice: Consider how much time it would typically take to complete a project and add a week or two to your timeline. Why? In the event you run into a personal or professional issue (illness, late delivery, supply delays, etc), you’ve built in a cushion that allows you to still meet your deadline with little to no delay. Plus, you can always complete the project early and receive kudos from your client.
✰ Client Boundaries:
What type of work are you unwilling to provide to prospective clients?
What are possible boundaries to address payment delays, last minute project changes, or ghosting? It’s always helpful to have solid contracts in place with contingency plans to address late payments or last minute requests that don’t leave you feeling overwhelmed.
How often will I communicate with clients? Booking a client doesn’t mean they have 24/7 access to you. You have the right to format your onboarding process to define the parameters of communication via email, phone, or video.
No. 3 — What practices pour into your cup?
There’s no shame in experiencing burnout. It happens to the most well-intentioned creatives. Once you notice signs of burnout, it’s time to slow down and take stock of what needs to change. Evaluate the decisions that may have led to burnout. Are you skipping meals and not getting enough sleep? Have you taken on a lot of new projects without hiring any assistance? Consider ways you could make shifts that could better support you and lessen the possibility of burnout in the near future.
More importantly, think about the last time you experienced deep rest and joy in your life.
For some of us, it’s easy to think of people and practices that bring us joy. You may experience joy as you build living room forts with your children (or roommate—no judgment). You may experience joy during game night with friends or at your altar as you pray. No matter how you cultivate joy, prioritize more moments in your life.
Rest is not merely mid-day naps and seven hours of sleep. Rest can be found in quiet walks during your lunch break. Rest can be found in conversations with friends that don’t center work and labor. Rest can be found in saying, “no” to personal or professional requests as you protect your energy.
We pour into our cup by centering joy and rest with a fierceness.
While you may not be able to prevent all moments of work-related burnout, you can learn tools and practices that minimize burnout’s duration and intensity so that you never hit rock bottom.
To work with Davia, please head to carrierbradley.com.
Want to stay involved through Future Front?
Keep up with what we’re up to—from virtual events to membership—here.
What Do You Know About Your Community's Black History?
In this mini-guide, you’ll find a few journaling questions from Black Freedom Communities’ Director Funmi Ogunro and producer Tamar Price, as well as a recording from one of their talks with Future Front in 2020.
This Black History Month, we’ve reconnected with one of our partners, Black Freedom Communities, a project by Art Is Cool.
Here, you’ll find a few journaling questions from the project’s Director Funmi Ogunro and Producer Tamar Price, as well as a recording from one of their talks with Future Front in 2020.
Use this a mini-guide and solo exercise for examining your own relationship with history. Enjoy!
First, take thirty minutes to journal.
1. What do you know about your own family history?
Write down a few things to get your brain going—like where you’re from, where your family lives, etc.
2. What do you know about your Texas community’s history?
When you think of the community you live in right now, what histories are you familiar with? What iconography, stories or culture do you associate with your community?
3. What do you know about your community and its Black History?
Are you familiar with cultural centers, creators or history museums that explore Black History? Do you know who used to live in your neighborhood?
4. Based on your answers to the three questions above, what would you like to learn about your community and its Black History today?
Journal out three next steps (or questions you’d like to answer) over the next month.
Next, set time aside to start learning.
You can start with this 2-hour talk about Black Freedom Communities through Art Is Cool.
Behind this talk:
Funmi Ogunro has been a regular exhibiting filmmaker with Future Front and The Front Fest. In 2020, we became one of the community partners around her upcoming film, Black Freedom Communities. The film is currently fundraising $100,000 to connect the histories of Black people in Austin to the future. You can learn more here: http://www.artiscool.co/
This recording from the Future Front archives features a talk with filmmaker Funmi Ogunro and the documentary team behind their upcoming film Black Freedom Communities.
Austin Black Freedom Communities are communities built by former enslaved African Americans after the Civil War ended in 1865. These communities were built with little resources from the ground up and included churches, schools, and stores.
This talk is free and available to all.
GET ACCESS TO THE FULL RECORDING:
Behind Black Freedom Communities:
Austin Black Freedom Communities is a feature-length film detailing the many rich history of Black people and Black Freedom Communities in Austin, Texas.
FUNMI OGUNRO:
Funmi Ogunro (she/her/hers) is a native Austinite and filmmaker, launching the production of her first feature-length documentary about Austin Black Freedom Communities. She decided to make this film because many people are unaware of the rich history of Black people in Austin—and it’s time for these stories to be told.
TAMAR PRICE:
Tamar (she/her/hers) is a creative producer with a background in film, events, and art. Her film work has garnered almost half a million views via Issa Rae’s Presents YouTube channel, and been screened at SXSW, Palm Springs Short Fest, Indy Shorts Fest, and more. She currently produces work with award-winning ad agency Material.
LOOKING FOR MORE?
Learn more about what we do at Future Front and how to connect with creators through our programs here.
On Collaboration: How Can We Start And Sustain Healthy Professional Relationships?
How do we reject cultures of comparison and approach collaboration? How do we protect our own energy, and respect others’, as we navigate opportunities, success and failures?
How do we reject cultures of comparison and approach collaboration? How do we protect our own energy as we navigate opportunities, success and failures? What emotional and practical tools are necessary to start and sustain a successful collaboration?
In this guide, we share some of the key questions and takeaways on collaboration that have been shared at bbatx events and workshops over the years.
Here are a few things to consider when collaborating with someone else:
1.) Do you share the same goals and values?
You want your collaborator to complement your skills (and vice versa), but you want to work around a common goal. When starting a collaboration, sit down to talk through your mission for the project and values. This will help you both understand why you’re working on this project and what will motivate your decision-making.
2.) Do you have a plan and/or a schedule of responsibilities?
It’s easy to start a collaboration if you don’t have anything written down—then there’s no way for you (or your collaborator) to hold each other accountable. When starting a collaboration, make sure you and your collaborator sit down to talk through your shared goals and values. You’ll also want to identify the scope of each other’s roles and ensure each party is clear on their responsibilities. It helps to have these things written down in a place where both parties can revisit (like a Google Doc), and it never hurts to draw up a contract defining your working relationship (one that includes an exit strategy if things go wrong, etc.).
3.) Do you have a budget? And do both sides know what’s financially at stake for the other?
We’ve all got limited resources and lives to live, so every collaboration needs a budget—whether you’re looking at money, time, energy or working hours. Writing out a budget is also a good time to identify risks. A collaboration can easily go sour if one party’s got a lot on the line and the other doesn’t.
4.) Who will move the ideas from conversation to paper to reality?
Communication is difficult! That’s why taking notes at meetings and ensuring that conversations become recaps and/or next steps is important. By writing things down, you’re giving your collaborator the opportunity to check your work and vocalize whether or not you’re on the same page. Within your collaboration, make sure someone (or both parties) are responsible for turning conversations into deadline-oriented action items. We suggest keeping all of your action items S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound).
5.) Who will ensure deadlines are met?
It’s difficult to hold each other accountable to deadlines, but pointing out when something was not turned in or completed on time helps keep the project moving. Make sure both parties are comfortable communicating about deadlines and taking responsibility when things are late or don’t go as planned.
6.) Who will update your shared roles and responsibilities as things change and how are these updates communicated?
As your project grows and shifts, your collaboration may grow and shift as well. When projects scale, roles can completely change, too. This is normal. Carve out time to reassess roles as necessary and update your timelines and schedules of responsibility accordingly. Make sure that these changes are communicated in a way that works for both parties.
7.) Does your collaboration require externally communicating with clients, customers and/or other team members? If so, who is responsible for communicating what you accomplish to the rest of the team or to your audience?
Telling the story of your collaboration is important. You want to be prepared to answer external questions and give credit where credit is due. Chat this over with your collaborator, so you’re both ready to communicate about the work with others.
8.) And last but not least—do you trust your collaborator to do the work, communicate with you and be honest?
If the answer’s no, then you need to hit the drawing board. Why do you want to work with this person? Are you in a position to collaborate?
Are you already in a collaboration that may be headed in an unhealthy direction? Use these questions as an exercise to determine your next steps.
1.) Where are you currently struggling and why might that be?
2.) Where are things running smoothly and why might that be?
3.) Is there mutual trust?
4.) Does the project have any written notes, contracts, a plan, a schedule of responsibilities?
5.) Are there skills required for this collaboration that you are still developing?
6.) Are you upholding your end of the collaboration?
7.) What do you want/need to make the collaboration better?
8.) Does the collaboration still align with your goals?
9.) Considering your needs, your resources and the state of the collaboration, what can you reasonably do next?
Want to explore collaboration and working relationships a little deeper? Check out bbatx’s workshops and learn more about our biannual WORK conference.
This blog post was written and compiled by Jane Hervey, thanks to notes by Deeksha Srinath and Hannah-Nisha Haggerty from our Alone, Together: A Workshop on Collaboration event on May 4, 2019.
Introducing Our 2024 Calendar: A Year of Big Rituals
It’s time to mark your calendar. Read for a visual guide to this year’s big event and application dates. Plus, we’ve got a few notes on Future Front’s inspirations and themes for 2024.
Welcome to 2024. It’s time to mark your calendar.
As we re-open for a new season, we’ve got your back with a visual guide to this year’s big event and application dates. Plus, we’ve got a few notes on Future Front’s inspirations and themes for this year.
✰ 2024 BIG EVENT DATES:
FUTURE FRONT CURATES AND PRODUCES THE FRONT MARKET, THE FRONT FESTIVAL AND THE WORK CONFERENCE EVERY YEAR.
Beyond our exhibitions, we host year-round shows, gatherings and workshops nurturing creative community at our flagship space in Downtown East Austin. Event registration opens on a weekly basis at futurefronttexas.org/comethrough (all of these events will be up there soon).
So, mark your calendar now & make plans to visit or get involved!
✰ 2024 OPEN CALLS:
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SHARE YOUR CREATIVE WORK, GET INTO OUR OPEN CALLS.
Every season, we feature work by different women and LGBTQ+ artists, makers, designers, creative leaders, small business owners, musicians, filmmakers.
You can also join membership for complimentary access to all of our events, workshops and learning spaces year-round. All open calls will be listed as they are made available at futurefronttexas.org/apply.
✰ THIS YEAR’S annual THEME:
Last year, our annual theme was homegrown, so throughout 2023, we explored seasons of homecoming. From our creative workshops to our curatorial exhibitions, every space reflected back stories of how we’ve grown, as well as where we started.
In 2024, we’ll be stepping into ritual.
Rituals of creativity. Rituals of care. Rituals of curiosity. Rituals of community.
Inspired by the Texas cosmos (that eclipse is coming) and the little-big cycles of our lives (from election seasons to daily routines), expect stories throughout our programs that remind you to zoom in and out. To reimagine, reexamine or simply remember the rituals connecting us to ourselves, our communities and our cultures. As always, no matter what you attend, we invite you to explore this prompt for yourself along the way. More to come!
Do you want to get involved in 2024?
WE’RE HERE FOR A WORLD THAT WELCOMES CULTURES OF CREATIVITY, CURIOSITY AND INTERSECTIONAL DESIGN.
Become a member or donate to our fundraiser. You can also explore all of the other ways to join us here.