The Museum of Human Achievement and community partners form Govalle Cultural District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2025
Contact: Eriane Austria,
The Museum of Human Achievement and community partners form Govalle Cultural District
Official designation formally recognizes historic neighborhood’s cultural role
AUSTIN, TEXAS
On June 5, 2025, Austin City Council voted to designate a community in the heart of East Austin as the Govalle Cultural District. This walkable 0.5 mile x 0.4 mile district along Springdale Road is home to more than 250 artists, 70 creative businesses, and key cultural spaces, including The Museum of Human Achievement, Canopy, 979 Springdale, Austin School of Film, Motion Media Arts Center, ICOSA Collective & Gallery, Bike Texas, and Govalle Elementary School. Each year, more than 200,000 people engage with the district through public art, youth programs, exhibitions, and community events.
As one of Austin’s oldest working-class neighborhoods, Govalle stands as a powerful example of what’s possible when long-standing communities lead. It’s a place where culture is not only preserved—it drives connection, creativity, and meaningful change. The establishment of the Govalle Cultural District marks the formal recognition of the neighborhood’s long-time role as a hub for the arts community. If approved by the Texas Commission on the Arts, Govalle will become Austin’s third state-recognized Cultural District (following Red River and Six Square).
With the designation of the Govalle Cultural District, The Museum of Human Achievement and its neighbors will have tools to preserve affordable creative spaces, integrate arts programming with local public schools, enhance walkability and safety through creative infrastructure, build and share the neighborhood’s rich cultural identity through storytelling and public art, and continue to host signature events such as First Saturdays and the East Austin Studio Tour. The district will be known as a neighborhood where creativity and community thrive—preserving the past, shaping the future, and making space for all to belong.
Zac Traeger, executive director of The Museum of Human Achievement, says: “We believe artists and cultural workers are essential to the vitality of our economy and community, and we support their long-term ability to live and work in Govalle. The recognition of the Govalle Cultural District and the rich cultural heritage of the neighborhood will help celebrate and preserve a long-standing hub for co-creation and community in East Austin. To insist on the importance of all our neighbors having access to artful lives and creativity is of the utmost importance in the context of local and national change. We believe that placing artists, educators and history at the table in all conversations is vital to recognizing the past and sustaining healthy and vibrant communities.”
About The Museum of Human Achievement
The Museum of Human Achievement is an Austin-based 501(c)3 nonprofit providing funding, infrastructure, professional support, and affordable physical space to under-resourced artists across all disciplines. Steeped in principles of collaboration, experimentation, inclusivity, and accessibility, MoHA fosters an empowered, resilient creative community in Texas and beyond.
Since its founding in 2012, MoHA has partnered with 1,300 organizations to create new works; presented 5,500+ artists; and welcomed 250k visitors to its East Austin campus. MoHA has assisted 140 first-time grant recipients and distributed $1.6M to artists (70% BIPOC, 61% LGBTQIA). At present, MoHA houses studio and office space for twenty community arts groups and mutual aid organizations, as well as for local and visiting artists. MoHA supports more than a thousand artists annually through its programs and events, and it produces more than a hundred free public programs annually which integrate community vision, arts, and social practice. Learn more at https://moha.wiki/
