Big Medium after Monday night’s fire. The owners and conservators are currently examining the building and artwork for damage, but one work in “No Kings But Us,” the collaborative show between Tim Kerr and Robert Hodge, has already been confirmed as being destroyed. Credit: Image Courtesy of Big Medium

A devastating fire has ripped through Austin’s Big Medium gallery, damaging the building and destroying art in the current exhibit – a collaborative show between Austin punk legend Tim Kerr and Houston-based visual artist Robert Hodge.

As featured in this week’s issue of the Chronicle (read all about the show here), “No Kings But Us” opened at the gallery last weekend, only the second show at their new South Congress location.

The owners of the gallery report that a fire was lit by unknown persons on Monday night (potentially, they note, unhoused people trying to stay warm during the recent freeze). The fire rapidly spread, and by the time the fire department was able to put it out, there was damage to the interior of the building, and one work of art from the show had already been destroyed.

Big Medium before Monday night’s fire. Credit: Image Courtesy of Big Medium

The gallery managers are currently working with conservators to assess any damage to the rest of the collection, and with the property owners to assess the scale of repairs. However, they are already estimating that the gallery will be closed for at least two weeks, and that reopening costs, and expenses incurred during the closure, could be large. They’re asking for help to cover the estimated $25,000 bill, and are asking for donations via boomerang.com.

This article appears in January 12 • 2024.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.