About

our mission

Big Medium supports artists through equitable and inclusive platforms to explore their practice and advance their careers.

our programs

Big Medium brings artists and audiences together through city and statewide artistic experiences, such as the Austin Studio Tour and the Texas Biennial. We are deeply committed to advancing artists' careers and offer the Tito’s Prize, a $15,000 annual award and exhibition to Austin artists. Our team fosters creativity and encourages experimentation by providing exhibition space year-round for artists through the Big Medium Gallery and works with local partners to provide artists with access to unique creative spaces and experiences through initiatives like The LINE Residency. Currently, Big Medium also manages Studios and Galleries at our new location.

our 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. Now celebrating 20 years, the studio tours have transformed to include over 500 artists across the city and serve 60,000 attendees each year.