heARTS and CRAFTS

heARTs & CRAFTS is a community series designed to celebrate Austin’s creative ecosystem, while strengthening the capacity of local artists and organizers. This project elevates underrepresented histories and emerging cultural forms by intentionally selecting artists whose identities, practices, or genres have been historically marginalized within Austin’s arts landscape. This is a space for these creators to articulate their experiences, share cultural knowledge, and archive their stories in real time with the community. These sessions reflect Austin not only as a creative hub, but as a city where many artists juggle financial precarity, health barriers, and limited resources while striving to sustain their work. Each event features two distinct components: 1. A workshop by a local community member to share their specialized CRAFT and provide practical, accessible skills essential for artists’ and event organizer’s long-term sustainability. 2. A showcase by a local artist to share their ART with intimate access to the artist’s process, inspirations, and connection to Austin. Workshop Info This hands-on, beginner-friendly guide is designed for Black, Trans, and BIPOC community members, organizers, and artists who want to build practical skills for responding to medical emergencies at public events, shows, gatherings, and community spaces. Participants will learn essential emergency response protocols, situational awareness, and immediate care strategies that can help stabilize someone during a crisis while professional medical assistance is on the way. Topics include responding to traumatic injuries, overdose emergencies, and other critical incidents that can occur in crowded public settings. Grounded in collective care, harm reduction, and community preparedness, this training recognizes that safety is a shared responsibility for artists and organizers. The more people who are equipped with emergency response knowledge, the stronger our communities become when faced with unexpected situations. Trigger Warning: This training includes discussion of traumatic injuries, gunshot wounds, mass casualty events, and overdose response. No prior medical experience is required. Showcase Info Coy aka XOY is a Multidisciplinary Black Trans Indigenous Artist with a background in Vocal Performance, Creative Direction, and Makeup Artistry. The Houston native blazed trails for others like herself, curating a collective of DJs FKA (Formerly Known As) Hyperpop Palace, which started off as the only Hyperpop party and Queer/Non conforming space in Houston beginning in 2022 & showcased at SXSW in 2023. Since shifting culture where she came from, XOY has been sharing her gifts with Central Texas and beyond by working on social media campaigns as a creative director and key artist as well as selecting songs & MCing at iconic underground parties such as Club Shugga, Touching Infinite, Hard Rubber, Gulp!, and more. The young creative has just begun her stint in Texas and is already one of the most influential Trans artists and queer nightlife curators in the state. In this intimate & interactive seminar, Coy will lead a live makeup tutorial while dropping gems and pulling back the curtain on her point of view and personal experiences with insecurity, transness, creating self, persevering in a world that actively works against queer & black artists, and of course makeup tips! You will leave with a new perspective of what it means to “be yourself” & how to be unapologetically self assured. Schedule 12:00 PM - Filipino bites and refreshments 12:30 PM - Workshop 2:30 PM - break 3:00PM - Showcase Accessibility Air Filter provided by @clear the air Masks required indoors ASL interpretation This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.