Signatures, comic book heroes, song lyrics and street signs all converge to create Nikki Shah’s characteristic art pieces. From behind a table displaying her prints, Shah, a business analytics and economics sophomore, beams at perusing customers. Customers sip seasonal lattes and sample specialty chicken as they stroll among bright awnings, jeweled necklaces and vintage clothing.

The Front Market, organized by Future Front Texas, showcases the work of Texas women and LGBTQ+ artists. The market decorates the backyard of Ani’s Day and Night, a shop dedicated to serving coffee and cocktails. Across four weekends — from Nov. 12 to Dec. 4 — the Front Market welcomes thousands of guests and features hundreds of artisans, including Nikki Shah, who sold her collages on the opening date. 

In the collages she premiered at the market, Shah embedded illustrations suggested by her younger sister into her collages, as well as the signatures of her closest friends. Shah said she primarily takes inspiration from songs such as “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics, which she listens to on repeat before mixing media to capture the essence of the song. 

“I get into them and try to live in that aesthetic,” Shah said. “I shape them into a certain idea that I want, and then it comes out more cohesively.”

The Front Market’s goal of promoting women and LGBTQ+ artisans prompted Shah to apply in the summer. Shah said focusing on the art of marginalized communities at markets offers change and connection for artists, especially in a white male-dominated industry. 

“It’s a community of people who I can relate to and who aren’t super toxic and competitive,” Shah said. “It’s a very uplifting community because we’ve all had to overcome a certain amount of the same struggles to pursue art.”

Willow Beauchamp, the communications fellow and interim producer at Future Front Texas, said the Front Market also provided them with a safe community when they first moved to Austin.

“There’s not a lot of spaces in Austin that I’ve felt completely comfortable in, especially being a queer person of color,” Beauchamp said. “Future Front has been a place where I’ve been able to be myself and explore all of my ideas.”

Shah said her work received increasing attention in the past weeks. The Gallery ATX at Moontower Cider Company displayed her painting, “Sole Proprietor (what do i owe you?)” on Nov. 5, and the following week, Shah’s prints appeared at the Front Market. 

Jacqueline Scott, a close friend of Shah, watched Shah paint determinedly into the early morning hours. She said she hopes Shah’s hard work receives as much recognition as her art. 

“I want the world to see how hard she works,” biology sophomore Scott said. “(I want them to see) how dedicated she is to her art (and) how much it means to her.”

Through her participation at the Front Market, Shah said the experience helped her attain both unexpected attention in the art world and a community.

“It’s an amazing organization,” Shah said. “I don’t know how I would be able to take my art the next step without having them take a chance on me. It’s my first time doing this, … but it’s a community. They’re so nice, so warm and so talented.”