Hot, Texas Renaissance: A Conversation On Storytelling With The Contemporary Austin
This summer has been hot and heavy—especially in Texas.
With recent legislation and threats on femme and queer identities, record temps and rising costs of living, it’s no wonder we all feel literally and figuratively heated. And yet, this summer has also marked a season of renaissance (and we’re not just talking about Beyoncé’s world tour).
In Future Front’s tiny corner of the world, we’ve watched small businesses go from backyards to big markets to brick-and-mortars. We’ve watched tiny, creative ideas turn into galleries and collectives. We’ve watched one thought turn into an art show—and neighborhood block parties turn into an annual festival. (We’ve even broken some of our own records with The Front Festival and our annual pool parties.)
It’s been a season of both joy and mourning, rebirth and rebuilding, growing up and returning to self. Thank you for being here for it.
So, as we reflect on the season, we want to highlight a few themes that emerged around living and working in Texas—from a conversation held at The Front Festival 2023 in collaboration with The Contemporary Austin—featuring artists and creative organizers based right here in Austin: Miriam Conner, Simone Raquel-Alexander, Bobby Pudrido (Jay) and Liz Moskowitz.
Keep reading from some words of encouragement on nurturing your own creative renaissance right here in Texas.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Simone Raquel Alexander (she/her) is a freelance artist, arts administrator, and arts advocate working in the nonprofit field and theatre community. She serves as Producing Artistic Director and Founder of New Manifest Theatre Company, where she has brought together an ensemble of interdisciplinary artists. Simone serves as the Senior Manager of Engagement and Accessibility at The Contemporary Austin Museum and the Development Director of Ground Floor Theatre.
Jay (they/them) is a drag king from Laredo, Texas who has lived in Austin for over 15 years. Their drag name “Bobby Pudrido” is an ode to Bobby Pulido, a Tejano artists who was a staple of their childhood. They are a member of Austin’s only drag king and gender-diverse troupe—the Boyz of Austin—and have quickly established themself as a drag king, producer, and show host in Austin. They co-created and produce Brokeback Cantina, a monthly drag king revue showcasing Latine drag kings. Jay also discovered their love for drag at the tender age of 32. Drag has been a way for them to explore their gender identity as a trans non-binary person and their culture as a person who grew up on the US-Mexico border.
Liz Moskowitz (she/her) is a documentary photographer and filmmaker. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY she has lived in Austin, Texas for over fifteen years. Her work aims to honor the dignity and nuance of people, places, and issues. She approaches each individual and community that she photographs with intentionality and an open-mind. Her films have won the Judge’s Choice Winner at the SXSW Faces of Austin Film Premiere, been a Vimeo Staff Pick, broadcast on the PBS "Frame of Mind" series, and shown at Woodstock Film Festival, AFI Fest, Dallas International Film Festival, and Sedona International Film Festival.
Miriam Conner (she/her) has curated and organized art and experiences for over a decade. She has been in Austin for 31 years by way of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has also worked with SXSW, Art Outside, Forklift Danceworks, Six Square – Austin’s Black Cultural District, the City of Austin, and more. She is the founder of Creative Policy, a firm recognized for its community-focused strategy that bridges policy-making and cultural engagement to achieve meaningful systems change.
THREE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ARTISTS and CREATIVES IN THE TEXAS SOUTH
1.) Support your lived communities—and work toward futures where we all thrive.
For each panelist, community storytelling is a big part of their journey and creative practice. Whether it’s involving community input on art projects, putting fellow community members on the mic or designing for better outcomes in arts and culture as an industry, stay grounded by connecting your work to creative organizations and communities all around you. You’ll build community along the way, too!
2.) Our stories are Texan stories—and they deserve to be told.
Throughout the evening, Simone, Jay, Miriam and Liz each reflected on the beauty of storytelling, from designing theater programs (Simone) to creating drag shows (Jay) to documentary filmmaking (Liz) and community program curation (Miriam). Finding the courage to boldly tell our stories and claim space in the world is a feat in and of itself. Remember this when you’re navigating new opportunities or taking your work into new spaces.
3.) Your creative work is necessary and your survival is enough.
When you share your story, when you make space for yourself and others, when you world-build the kind of culture you want to live, you are literally shaping history, the present and the future. You belong.