Abstract:
Lindsay Olson is a textile artist who makes science-based work that takes her to exciting locations: an underground neutrino facility at Fermilab, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, a research vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, and restored wetlands. This lecture will describe how Olson develops successful science/art projects that begin with understanding accurate scientific concepts, finding artistic inspiration, and creating a plan to communicate these ideas through engaging artwork. She will share how she moved from science avoider to science communicator in her artistic journey.
Bio:
Lindsay Olson’s artistic practice grows out of an intense curiosity about the ways our society is supported by science and technology. Olson has worked as Fermi National Accelerator’s inaugural artist in residence, with the CMS experiment at CERN in Switzerland, with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and with the Center for Acoustics Research and Education at the University of New Hampshire. Her work has been shown at the Schingoethe Museum of Art, Woman Made Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, the Field Museum, Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of New Hampshire. She speaks about her projects widely including the Studio Arts Quilt Associates International Conference in Toronto, the University of Illinois Saturday Physics for Everyone, the Field Museum’s Women in Science lecture series, The Chicago Council of Science and Technology, and many other venues. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, Physics Teacher Magazine, Sci/Art Magazine, Surface Design Journal and TextileArtist.org. Olson taught in the Fashion Studies Department at Columbia College Chicago for over 20 years. She is currently serving as the inaugural artist in residence with The Wetlands Initiative. When not visiting a lab or working in the studio, she can be found canoeing with her husband on one of Chicago’s many area waterways.
lindsayolsonart.com