Big Medium, an arts nonprofit in Austin, has named Dr. Latasha Carter as its new Managing Director amidst continued financial strain.
In May, the organization announced that co-founder and longtime Executive Director Shea Little would step from his role in the organization. At that time, Big Medium made changes to its organizational structure and launched a search for a Managing Director. Coka Treviño, who had previously served as the organization’s Curator and Director of Programming was promoted to Curator and Artistic Director, with the role of Managing Director focused more on operations and management. Ms. Treviño told Glasstire that creating this new role would ensure the organization found someone with the right skill set regardless of their experience in the art world. According to the job description, the role will focus on strategic planning, developing budgets, and the day-to-day operations related to human resources, finances, and information technology.
Latasha Carter
Ms. Carter holds an EdD in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, an MA in Public Administration from Bellevue University, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Most recently she has served as the Chief Development Officer for San Antonio Prep, a charter school. Ms. Carter has also held the roles of Founding Director of Advocacy and Engagement at Liberty STEAM Charter School, Elementary Principal at Wuhan Yangtze International School, Founder and Director of Greatness in Girls, and multiple positions at Bastrop Independent School District.
Big Medium, January 2024. Photo by Raul Rodriguez
This new hire comes at a tumultuous time for the organization. Last year, Big Medium left its longtime location at the Canopy complex and moved into a new space in South Austin. Though a temporary space, its new building boasts a large gallery, studio spaces for artists, an open-concept coworking area, and micro galleries that are rented by other arts organizations. Earlier this year, the building suffered a fire and the organization launched a campaign to raise $25,000 for repairs.
Big Medium funding graph. Courtesy of the organization.
In a newsletter sent out in August, the organization noted, “…we must be transparent and let you know about the unexpected financial setbacks encountered over the past year. On top of an already lean financial position that many arts nonprofits deal with regularly, Big Medium dealt with a costly move to a new location, has not been able to retain a full complement of staff (most critically fundraising staff), suffered from a fire at our newly built gallery, and lost significant and key funding sources.”
The statement went on to assert that “All of Big Medium’s programs are at risk of ceasing.” This includes the artist-in-residence program at the LINE Hotel; the annual Tito’s Prize that awards $15,000 to an Austin artist; the Oliver Franklin Award, which awards $5,000 to women leaders in the arts; the Texas Biennial; and other programs.
Regarding funding sources, the organization has explained that for several years it received increasing funds from the City of Austin, at one point more than $100,000 in a fiscal year, however, over the last four years funding dropped to $30,000. Now, in the current fiscal year, Big Medium will receive no funds from the City. The City of Austin currently offers three granting opportunities for funding cultural programs: Thrive, awards for local nonprofits from $85,000 to $150,000 for a two-year contract; Elevate, awards for arts organizations, individual artists, and creative businesses from $15,000 to $80,000 to support the production of arts activities; and Nexus, awards of $5,000 to support new and emerging nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses.
In the organization’s most recent 990 form, which details Big Medium’s financials from 2022, it received over $560,000 in contributions and grants, with its total revenue amounting to over $780,000. While this indicates that City funding, even at its height, was not the sole source of the organization’s funding, like many small nonprofits, a large percentage of its budget comes from contributions and grants.
At the time of publication, Big Medium has not yet responded to Glasstire’s request for comment. Learn more about the organization, including more information about its financial struggles, via its website.
