Oliver Franklin Award

Big Medium and the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum are proud to announce Celina Zisman as the recipient of the First Annual Oliver Franklin Award.
An annual recognition that celebrates a woman leader in the arts established by Big Medium and the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum.

Honoring Oliver’s tireless efforts to support the art community and inspired by leaders who champion the artistic sector in Austin, we want to extend this accolade, along with an unrestricted grant of $5,000, as an encouragement to continue vital work for our city and our artists.

About Celina

Celina Zisman (they/she) is a small business strategist working alongside makers, musicians, and creative solopreneurs within Austin's arts ecosystem. They empower artists across disciplines with the tools to establish, grow and maintain a business, and develop professional best practices. Celina has been an active member of the Austin arts community since 2008, having worked in non and for-profit galleries, as well as a nationally recognized craft academy.

Zisman serves their community as a member of the City of Austin's Arts Commissions (2019 to present). Zisman also serves on the board of SAGE studio and volunteers as the talent buyer for the Austin Creative Mornings chapter.

selection committee

Lindsay Barras, Education Coordinator, Elisabet Ney Museum
Miriam Conner, Community Organizer and Curator with Public City
Emmy Laursen, Independent Curator, Artist, and Community Organizer
Ryan Runcie, Artist and Community Organizer
Coka Treviño, Curator and Director of Programming at Big Medium

The committee took into account multiple factors and qualities in Female identified Arts Administrators, including the outstanding job of building community, deep reach in the creative community, persistence, contributions to the BIPOC community, a supporter of arts and artists, inspiring others in uplifting the arts, etc.