Big Medium

WHO WE ARE

Big Medium is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting artists and building community through the arts in Austin and across Texas. We provide opportunities for artists to create, exhibit, and discuss their work and connect to an engaged and diverse audience. We strive to make art a part of everyday life.

WHAT WE DO

Big Medium produces the East and West Austin Studio Tours — annual city‑wide art events that offer the public an opportunity to meet local artists in their creative spaces; the Texas Biennial — a curated statewide survey exhibition of contemporary art in Texas; Creative Standard — professional development workshops and resources supporting artists at any stage of their career; the Big Medium Gallery — a dedicated space for innovative and experimental exhibitions; the Tito’s Prize — a $15,000 award for one Austin artist and solo exhibition; Studios at Canopy — studio space for over 60 artists; The LINE Residency — a six week residency in a private studio space inside of a hotel; International Exchange — promotes cross‑cultural understanding through art and increases connections to Texas artists; Art Swap — artists, collectors, and appreciators exchange art and ideas on the grounds of the Elisabet Ney Museum; Sponsored Projects — administrative and financial support for local artists, organizations, and projects that align with Big Medium’s mission.

HISTORY

Since its inception in 2007, Big Medium has been dedicated to supporting the contemporary arts and artists in Texas. The organization’s official formation as a nonprofit began to take root years prior, when Austin artists Shea Little, Jana Swec, and Joseph Phillips began practicing art in collaboration at Bolm Studios in 2002, and soon found themselves in dialogue with fellow artists in the surrounding East Austin community. Through engaging in their local arts community at the grassroots level, the group saw an opportunity to help support the wide spectrum of artists seeking a platform to share their work and creative practices with each other and an audience at large. Through this desire for connectivity and exchange, the East Austin Studio Tour was formed with just 28 studios in 2003. In its eighteenth edition in 2019, EAST has grown to host over 500 artist participants and 50,000 attendees each year.