Selected Recognition

“His work as a teacher and artist is the reflection of a man who has felt deeply, thought richly, and been partner to a dancing enthusiasm for all things living.”
—Former student

“In making this selection, the [Lundquist] Committee recognizes your superior accomplishments in teaching, creative and scholarly activity, and your position as perhaps the single most important personality in the artistic activities of our community.”



Photo courtesy of IU Archives

1979
All University Teaching Award (Amoco Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award), Indiana University

1985
First Eldon Lundquist Faculty Fellow, Indiana University South Bend
 (IU South Bend), the highest faculty award at the South Bend campus

1985
Sagamore of the Wabash
Conferred by the governor of Indiana, this award is the highest distinction in the state. Indiana’s native American tribes used the term to indicate a “lesser chief or a great man among the tribe whom the chief consulted for wisdom and advice.” The award states that the recipient is “distinguished by his Humanity in Living, his Loyalty in Friendship, his Wisdom in Council, and his Inspiration in Leadership.”

1990
South Bend Alumni Association’s Community Hall of Fame
The primary goal of the Community Hall of Fame, established in 1985, is “to publicly recognize individuals whose achievements and services have distinguished both themselves and the South Bend community.”

1992
Establishment of the Zisla Acquisition Fund, South Bend Museum of Art

1997
South Bend Mayor’s Arts Award
The award recognizes cultural contributions to the community.

2006
First Annual Carlotta Banta Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognition of contributions to the South Bend Museum of Art
and the community

2008
Establishment of the Harold Zisla Art Scholarship (name changed to the Harold and Doreen Zisla Art Scholarship in 2011) at IU South Bend

2014
Publication of Fine Arts of the South Bend Region, 1840-2000, dedication reading: “Because he has for so many years provoked our shared reflections and our quest for excellence in the fine arts, we dedicate
 this book to Harold Zisla.”

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