GRAND RAPIDS — Early on at school, Carolyn Olson’s teachers saw her potential as an artist.
“A teacher asked me to draw a picture of a group of teachers carrying audio-visual equipment up and down the stairs at the elementary school I went to," she said. "They wanted one arm longer than the other because they felt like it was so heavy. It was a fun thing to do, and it kind of made me feel like, 'I can do this.'”
Olson’s love for creating isn’t just limited to the arts. She loves gardening, baking, knitting, weaving and more. However, she told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show that drawing helps her communicate the best.
Olson considers herself a narrative artist. That means what she creates is telling a story or saying something that’s important to her. Her art could talk about what’s going on in her life, what she hopes for the future or offer a comment on society.
When recreating things she’s seen in her paintings, she sometimes references photos but other times works from memory.
“Not that I ever really paint a replica, but the representation of that image, the movement of a hand, the gesture of a person, you can tell the gesture of a person questioning somebody versus interested in what they're saying," she said. " ... And those kinds of things have to do with understanding what they're feeling, but also the body, muscles, bone structure, those kinds of things.”
She also believes that representation is important, that people should see themselves in pictures and art. To her, it’s about feeling the need to be loud about what kind of community we want and who we are.
Olson has an exhibit at the MacRostie Art Center called “Mutual Aid and Chosen Family” until April 25. It features over 20 pastel drawings.
The “Chosen Family” side of the exhibit features pieces depicting people that we keep close or have our backs. It features a lot of pieces in the neighborhood.
The “Mutual Aid” side, which is an ongoing series for Olson, features people in the community taking care of each other. Whether that’s through providing food, clothing, safety or even changing a taillight on a car. There are also historical pictures in the show as well.
“We all need help at times. I have needed help at times," Olson said. "When you're done, you can feed the pot then.”
There are also write-ups next to the pieces in the exhibit, which isn’t something Olson usually does with her work. However, she felt it was important to talk more about harm reduction and other issues.
More of Olson’s work is available on her website.
Listen to the full conversation with Olson about the narrative artists' tradition, ways people can help each other and how an artist’s voice comes through in their work by clicking above.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
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