Your Impact on Austin Artists: 2022 in Review
2022 was one for the books! Thanks to the support of our creative community, Big Medium celebrated important milestones this year and continued to invest in Austin artists through our exhibitions, residencies, and programs. Additionally, we completed our first strategic plan that will guide us over the next five years.
One of our main goals is to advance the careers of artists, one way we do this is by paying artists directly at every opportunity. We served over 685 artists this year by providing $78,000 in commissions of new work and nearly $15,000 in Fellowships waiving program application fees. In addition, 30% of Austin Studio Tour participants reported $360,990 in art sales. That is a minimum total of $453,990 in revenue we helped artists generate this year alone!
All of these achievements have only been possible thanks to the support of our dedicated Members and donors. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to our efforts this year.
As we close out a memorable year and prepare for an exciting 2023, we invite you to review our accomplishments below and ask that you consider making an end-of-year gift to help sustain and grow our programs in the year to come!
Our year in review…
We began the year by closing the 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon, which highlighted the work of 51 artists with Texas ties and brought international attention to the artistic dialogue happening in our state.
In its 10th year at Canopy, the Big Medium Gallery welcomed the work of 50 artists, including solo exhibitions by W Tucker, Mónica Vega, Karen Navarro, Xavier Schipani, and Adrian Armstrong, and group exhibitions by PrintAustin, and Paloma Mayorga featuring her work along with that of Melissa Aguirre, Alexa Capareda, VLM, and Alejandra Regalado.
The 20th Anniversary of the Austin Studio Tour served over 520 artists across the city, with our Group Exhibition at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center and site specific installations by Brooke Burnside, Steve Parker, Alexandra Robinson, and Jose Villalobos funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. In recognition of this significant moment for Big Medium, Mayor Steve Adler designated November 1, 2022 as Austin Studio Tour Day through a City of Austin Proclamation.
Through our residencies, we continued to provide access to unique creative experiences. The Thirsty Planet Artist Series celebrated 5 years of beer collaborations with Werk Ethic, Annie Arnold creation with brewer Gabe Kuchar. The Desert Door Residency welcomed 3 artists including Elizabeth Hudson, Jieun Beth Kim, and Jesus Treviño at their West Texas ranch, and culminated in a group exhibition at Canopy in November. The LINE Residency opened studio doors to 6 Austin-based artists, including VLM, Hannah Lee, Charles Ben Russell, Alexis Hunter, Amanda Fay, and Kevin Muñoz.
Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to partner with Nixta Taqueria for a special collaboration between James Beard Award Winning Chef, Edgar Rico, and artist RF Alvarez, who together crafted our Big Medium Circle Dinner experience.
Finally, Tammie Rubin was selected as our 5th Tito’s Prize recipient and will be opening her solo exhibition in the Big Medium Gallery next March! For now, you can drive by Big Medium and check out her installation, Monkey Wrench, North Star, Shoofly, as part of our Pylon Project.
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Image Credit (left to right): W Tucker, a cloud floats in / a ship passes by, 2022; Adrian Armstrong, There Are Black People In Nebraska?!, 2022; VLM, The LINE Residency 2022; Alexis Hunter, The LINE Residency 2022; Xavier Schipani, The Lightning Can't Be Harnessed, 2022; Mónica Vega, Contemplación 1, 2022; Yo trabajo con la tierra / I work with the earth, curated by Paloma Mayorga, 2022; Tammie Rubin, Monkey Wrench, North Star, Shoofly, Pylon Project 2022; Austin Studio Tour 2022 Kick Off; Elizabeth Hudson, Jieun Beth, Jesus Treviño, Desert Door Residency Exhibition, 2022; Annie Arnold, Werk Ethic, Thirsty Planet Artist Series; Karen Navarro, The Constructed Self, 2022