Pat Olson
| Patricia Olson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (age 65–66) Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Alma mater |
Macalester College Minneapolis College of Art and Design |
| Known for | Painting, graphic design |
| Notable work | Tooth Mother, The Mysteries, Feminist Revisioning, The Catherine Portrait |
| Movement | Feminist art movement Women's Art Registry of Minnesota |
| Website | patriciaolsonart |
Patricia Olson (born 1951) is an American graphic designer, painter, feminist artist, and educator whose works are categorized as figurative art. Olson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her B.A. in studio art from Macalester College in 1973, and her M.F.A. in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1998. Olson's work has been on exhibition continuously throughout the United States since 1973, sometimes in group exhibitions, and sometimes in solo exhibitions. She has works that are part of permanent collections throughout the United States as well.
The intersection of art and feminism can be seen in Olson's works of art, and also throughout other aspects of her life. In an interview she gave in 1980, she reflected on her relationship to feminism: "Right when I graduated from college, I became very interested in the feminist movement and what it meant for me personally." She is a founding member of the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota, also known as WARM: she joined the collective in 1975 as one of its youngest members, and served as chief designer form WARM journal. WARM began as a women's art collective in the 1970s. In 1976, they opened a gallery in Minneapolis, MN, and registered as a nonprofit organization. "The bylaws defined WARM as a feminist organization that aimed to foster communication among professional artists in Minnesota, to promote their development and careers, and to enhance their visibility." The lasting legacy of WARM can still be found today, albeit in a different incarnation. Today's WARM is based in Eden Prairie, MN, and provides mentoring, networking opportunities, exhibition opportunities, and an online registry of works for women artists in the Midwest.
Olson and her colleague Elizabeth Erickson have taught the Women's Art Institute, a summer intensive studio program, since 1999. The Women's Art Institute was housed at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design from its inception in 1999, until it moved to St. Catherine University in September 2012. When the Women's Art Institute made the move from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to St. Catherine University, Olson took over as the new director of the program. For this work, "[t]hey were named 'Changemakers of 2009' by the Minnesota Women's Press for promoting greater self-determination, equality and justice for women and girls."
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