05/29/26 Press Release
- May 29
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
THE LUNAR FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES ‘AUSTIN CREATES TOGETHER: GREATER AUSTIN’S SURVEY ON AANHPI ARTS AND CULTURE,’ LAUNCHING JUNE 4 WITH A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION AT HOPE OUTDOOR GALLERY; EVENT TO BENEFIT JAPANESE-AMERICAN PUNK BAND PEELANDER-Z
The initiative, created in partnership with Nielsen, will gather insights from Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists and Greater Austin arts audiences to better understand how cultural work is created, experienced and supported across the region
The 501(c)(3) is also proud to launch their Illuminate speaker series in June, featuring AANHPI leaders in film, television and the culinary world
(AUSTIN, TEXAS — May 29, 2026; source: Juice Consulting) — Central Texas nonprofit The Lunar Foundation announces Austin Creates Together: Greater Austin's Survey on AANHPI Arts and Culture, which will survey Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists and individuals who engage with the arts more broadly, to gain a more complete picture of how their cultural work is created, experienced, and supported within Austin’s changing cultural landscape. The survey is launching with the collaboration of Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, who supported the survey design and creation through its Data for Good skills-based volunteering program.
The survey will kick off with a public launch and community celebration at HOPE Outdoor Gallery on Thursday, June 4 from 5 - 8 p.m. With the HOPE Campaign as a community partner for this event, the launch will feature a DJ, food trucks and onsite survey registration stations. The survey will be available here starting June 4 and will be open until July 31. Additionally, this event will serve as a benefit for Austin-based Japanese-American punk band Peelander-Z, who are currently recovering from serious injuries after a motor accident while on tour last week. Attendees can access the band’s GoFundMe onsite, and also can receive a free NightMarket.fun t-shirt if they donate $20 or more. A merch table will also sell Peelander-Z items (posters, records) with 100% of proceeds being donated to the band. The public can RSVP here. For media interested in RSVPing to this event, please see here. For more on The Lunar Foundation, see here.
"Peelander-Z are beloved in Austin and a true expression of the joyful, boundary-breaking spirit that AANHPI artists bring to this city,” said Andrew Lee, Executive Director of The Lunar Foundation. “They've always been so generous with their talent, including performing at our inaugural NightMarket.fun. When we heard what happened, it felt right to make space at our launch for the community to show up for them. That's what this community does."
The survey is aimed to reach the greater Austin area, including Cedar Park and Georgetown - regions where The Lunar Foundation is also active in developing arts initiatives including NightMarket.fun in Cedar Park and education through the arts with the AANHPI Visual Histories program. The Lunar Foundation recognizes that thriving arts communities depend not only on artists themselves, but also on audiences, community participation, and public engagement, and invites any Austinite who engages with, consumes or appreciates art in any form locally to participate. The results from this survey will allow The Lunar Foundation to develop programs to meet the city’s needs.
"Austin's AANHPI population has grown rapidly over the last decade, yet there remains limited local data about how AANHPI artists are navigating creative careers, cultural identity, economic sustainability, and access to opportunity," said Andrew Lee. "This survey is how we start changing that. If you're an artist or someone who shows up for arts and culture in this city, your responses will directly shape what we build next."
The Lunar Foundation is an independent, Central Texas-based nonprofit that was founded by a board that has worked full time in the arts for decades. The organization has developed trusted relationships with the City of Austin (which established an ongoing co-sponsorship of the Foundation-produced Austin Dragon Boat Festival, a first for an AANHPI cultural event), as well as the City of Cedar Park (an ongoing city partner for NightMarket.fun, the Foundation’s annual autumn experience), Nielsen (a partner for the Austin Creates Together survey), and by the artists they serve. The Lunar Foundation is the only organization in Central Texas combining destination-level cultural experiences with a comprehensive economic development model for AANHPI artists, integrating paid showcases with investments in professional development, original research, and coalition-driven funding.
"We're not just programming events, we're working to build real economic pathways for AANHPI artists," said Andrew Lee. "Our artists shouldn't have to build careers that depend on perpetual fundraising. We're designing an economic development model that helps them earn sustainable income through their craft."
In June, The Lunar Foundation will simultaneously be launching the Illuminate Speaker Series: AANHPI Voices in Art and Media. The Illuminate Series is a new artist speaker series spotlighting distinguished AANHPI artists and industry professionals. Each speaking event will be free to the public and feature a moderated discussion, a live audience Q&A, and a community networking opportunity. The Illuminate Series will provide unique insights into the creative journeys, challenges, and accomplishments of AANHPI professionals across various artistic disciplines. For more info, please email here.
ABOUT THE LUNAR FOUNDATION:
Founded in late 2023 and led by Texas-based AANHPI artists, The Lunar Foundation (TLF) was created to address the underrepresentation and inequitable access to artistic opportunities for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in Austin. The organization believes art is essential to civic and cultural life. It fosters understanding, counters harmful stereotypes, and strengthens community belonging at a time when narratives about AANHPI communities are often shaped without our voices.
The Lunar Foundation’s mission is to uplift AANHPI artists and culture in Austin by increasing visibility, supporting creative sustainability, and fostering community connection through arts-driven initiatives. The org carries out this mission by offering programs that both grow and show artists. Their skill-building workshops, professional development resources, industry talks, and fiscal sponsorships help artists deepen their craft and build long-term career pathways. The org’s public programs, which include NightMarket.fun, the AANHPI Visual Histories program, and their new stewardship of the 26th Annual Austin Dragon Boat Festival, create accessible platforms for artists to share and sell their work to broad audiences while celebrating the diversity of AANHPI cultural traditions.
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MEDIA NOTE:
For press requests or general inquiries, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
Tyler Ostby
210 854 9119
Madison Snelling
210 213 8934