The Artist in Industry Award was created in 2016 to recognize business professionals with strong connections to The OBIE and Bessie-Award Winning Chocolate Factory Theater who have demonstrated creativity and artistry in their careers and professions and thus impacting their fields as a whole.

Lisa DiClerico is a mixed media artist living and working in Queens, New York. She received a BFA in Restoration from The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. She continued post-baccalaureate work in art history and restoration in Florence, Italy, and returned to New York to train with restoration ateliers and experts until she opened the doors to her own restoration workshop and consultation company, Lisa DiClerico Studio in 2008. Her background includes fine art painting, sculpture, and studio furniture making.

Owner/chef Alex Schindler and his wife Lisa DiClerico opened the neighborhood restaurant LIC Market in 2010, focusing on fresh ingredients and natural wine. Born and raised in Queens, Alex studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and was an Executive Chef for 10 years at restaurants including Giorgione, 508, and Hotel Giraffe before opening the doors of LIC Market.