“Chosen Family” and “Mutual Aid” pastel on paper March 6 – April 24
Shoveling Snow After a Snow Storm – Mutual Aid 25″ x 50″ pastel on paper
This is the last pastel in the Mutual Aid series of pastels completed in 2025. It will join the other works at the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, opening March 6th, 4-7 PM. Exhibition March 6 – April 24.
Mutual aid snow removal connects neighbors needing help (often seniors, disabled, or injured) with volunteers willing to shovel driveways/sidewalks. Some community groups are also available to volunteer their services. These efforts focus on neighborly kindness, ensuring accessibility, and supporting those who can’t afford commercial services or physically manage the task.
Just in time! 20 of your favorite holiday cookie recipes. Books on sale at Blue Heron Trading Post, DeWit-Seitz Bldg, Canal Park, Duluth Lizzard’s Gallery, 11 W. Superior St, Duluth
Are you looking for a fun holiday card with a cookie on the front, blank inside with white envelopes?? Perfect. 4 1/8″ x 5 7/8″ (blank inside with white envelopes) available. Sold in sets of 25 for $125. Up to 5 different cookies available/set. 2 weeks for delivery (Duluth area)
November 4 – January 4, Zeitgeist Atrium Gallery, Duluth, MN. Opening event Wednesday, November 5th, 5-7pm
March 6 – April 24, MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN. Opening event March6, 4-7pm
For the last year I have been working on this body of work. The stories of mutual aid and chosen family are important to retell now more than ever. We’re reminded that we aren’t alone, that our families and community need us as much as we need them. We stay connected to the good – reject the chaos. We bring our best to each day and make the world better.
Rent Party 25” x 50” pastel on paper
Carolyn Olson is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
This activity is made possible in part through an Artist Equity Grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to generous support from the McKnight Foundation.
“Pearl’s Garden” is the story of young person wanting to grow a vegetable garden in their urban back yard. With the help of community and family they are able to produce food to share. It is a hopeful story of how to work together and help each other as we can to achieve our goals.
Pre-orders are available through the MNHS Press or through your local book stores.
A collaboration between Zeitgeist and the Duluth Transit Authority working collaboratively to bring public art to bus shelters in support of “National Day Without Driving”. Art wraps will be installed permanently creating an inclusive positive space.
Each shelter depicts a different season with an inclusive group of folks waiting for the bus to arrive. I am thrilled to be a part of this effort. Public art is one of my passions. Making transportation welcoming and available to everyone is who we need to be as a community.
These four drawings will eventually be at 13th Ave E. and Superior St./Duluth transit shelters. Thanks to Zeitgeist and the DTA for the opportunity!
Get ready for the holiday with pepparkakor cookies! Hearts and Emigrants.. Unless you’re Native American we are all emigrants. Holiday card set available – 25 cards with blank inside and white envelope $100 includes tax and shipping cost. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
(Lois Bersell Olson) Pepparkakor recipe:
1/2 c butter 2/3 c brown sugar 1/3 c honey 1 egg 2 c flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp coriander 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Mix all together. Chill. Roll out to 1/8” thick and cut out with shapes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 5-7 minutes. Makes 4 dozen
Art as resistance refers to the use of artistic expression to challenge, critique, and confront social, political, or cultural norms, often with the aim of sparking change or raising awareness about injustices.
Examples include: spontaneous street art and graffiti created in protest to the killing of George Floyd, Dante Wright, Breanna Taylor and others; Black Lives Matter murals, music and performances; Anti-apartheid murals as powerful visual statements opposing the racist regime; and Anti-war paintings by Picasso and Goya as well as and street art by Banksy just to name a few.
Know that art has been used by dictators and fascist regimes against us as well to maintain control. Examples include: WWII’s Nazi Germany’s graphic propaganda with swastikas’ and “Aryan ideals” which opposed modern art (Bauhaus) and expression. Their excessive pageantry created a false narrative of community support for their cruel policies; the Soviet Union glorifying cruel leaders like Stalin while silencing dissenting artists and communities who chose to speak out against the regime; and Mao in China used powerful graphics to reinforce loyalty to the communist party/Mao
Its important to know the key ways they employ art to maintain power: Dictators establish and maintain their authority through a carefully cultivated image of being powerful, infallible leaders. This is often achieved through widely circulating portraits, statues, and symbols of the leader to reinforce their authority and deify them. Creating monumental public buildings and monuments that convey a sense of grandeur, strength, and the regime’s dominance. Art is used to rewrite history, presenting a version that aligns with the regime’s narrative and justifies its actions. Authoritarian regimes tightly control artistic expression, promoting only the art that aligns with their political agenda and suppressing any forms or artists deemed subversive. Artists who resist face severe consequences like persecution, censorship, or worse.
Remember that art can also be a powerful tool for resistance against oppressive regimes. Artists often find ways to subtly embed messages of dissent or critique within their work, even under strict censorship. This can involve using allegory, metaphor, and other forms of symbolism to convey subversive meanings. Art, in this context, becomes a vital means of resistance, resilience, and maintaining individual autonomy. (Ms. Google)
I have found drawing a way to deal with anxiety about the fascist regime currently running our country. Join me in speaking up for our family and neighbor’s. Stay safe. Stay strong.
