Brad Olson

Education & Training

PhD - Art Education - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

MA - Art Education - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

BA - Art Education - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Research & Creative Interests

I am an artist/educator and researcher who has worked with learners of all ages (from pre-school to adulthood) in a diverse range of settings, including public schools, museums, and community arts programs. I am particularly interested in researching the topics of visual culture, new and social media, community-based art learning, and playful pedagogy. I received my PhD in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2015, after defending my dissertation, "DigArts: A Case Study of Digital Visual Culture, Teenagers, and Tensions in the Third Space". 

As artist, I am inspired by many things – remote places and people, natural histories, folklore, and music, to name a few. I am drawn to intersections: between popular culture and fine art, digital and traditional media, and the natural and technical worlds. My work makes use of traditional and new media processes including illustration, photography, digital manipulation, collage, and animation.  My central goal is to make art that documents and reflects on these transitional spaces (both geographical and metaphorical), and to pay attention to the evolving and disappearing worlds of the 21st century. 

Professional Affiliations

(2018-Present) Instructor - Art Education - Eastern Illinois University (2016-2017)
Education Programs Coordinator - Krannert Art Museum (2011-2015)
Graduate Instructor - Writing with Video - UIUC 
(2014) Director - Digital Arts Workshop - UIUC 
(2009-2013) Co-Director - Summer Art Experience - UIUC 
(2008-2011) Graduate Instructor - Art Education - UIUC