On Tuesday January 2nd at around 1-6am, someone broke in and burned down the Raw Paw studio. It was an act of arson that destroyed everything inside the house including countless pieces of artwork, printing equipment, supplies, books, records, merchandise and more. Thankfully, no one was harmed and all the surrounding neighbors are damage free and safe thanks to the Austin Fire Department.
PLEASE if you have any information that can help with the investigation of this crime contact us or the Deputy Fire Marshal, Tate Markey. (Contact Information Below)
We are extremely grateful to everyone who reached out during this chaotic time. Every word of kindness feels like a piece of armor surrounding us. Thank you so much and we love you. Y’all have a lot of questions, we have a lot of questions. All we can say is we don’t know who committed this evil attack on us and there is an investigation underway that we are praying will illuminate this soon.
What we have been asked most is did we have insurance. No, we did not. Our renter’s insurance ended completely on December 28th, five days before the fire, when we parted ways with an owner who resigned. We had written down to restart the insurance in our name the first day back to work, which was the same day as the fire. A perfect storm of horrible.
To everyone who suggested we do fundraising or offered to donate to help us get back on our feet, our gratitude is deeper than we can express. We will always be connected and your support in this time will turn into the energy we put back into our artwork, community, and those in the future who find themselves in need as we do now.
To our clients and partners in the screen printing business, we have worked out a relationship with a trusted print shop in town who have graciously agreed to fulfill our current and upcoming orders at a discounted rate so we can work to maintain our monthly bills. We will be working closely with them to match your specifications and tastes. Thank you so much for being the heartbeat of our survival over the last six years since we decided to go all in on becoming professional artists.
It is hard to describe everything we have lost in the five years we lived and worked in that house. Kyle Carter, or CogDut, lost almost all of his artwork and screen prints he has made since becoming an artist. Along with our losses, Whiskey Shivers, Wild Child, Utopiafest, Hikes, Corduroi, Young Tongue, JCR Workshop, Ponytail Mafia, and more had merch destroyed that they were trusting us to store safely. We will use any support we receive to recreate the products of these amazings artists, businesses, and friends.
Raw Paw will recover. This will only make us stronger. We believe in Austin. We feel connected with all those around the globe who have reached out in support.
Let’s stay focused on being kind and building a better world day by day.
Much Love,
❤︎ Raw Paw ❤︎
Chris Dock, Jen Rachid, Kyle Carter and D’Anna Siciliano
tate.markey@traviscountytx.gov
512-854-4621
print@rawpaw.ink
512-522-5872
The crime took place January 2nd around 1-6am at 4004 Reeders Dr. Austin, TX east of Texas 130.