Rate My Professor Brad Olson

Olson's research specializations include visual culture, new and social media, community-based art learning, playful pedagogy, and the integration of emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence into art education. He actively shares his findings with educators, focusing on practical applications for art classrooms. In his artistic practice, Olson draws inspiration from remote places and people, natural histories, folklore, and music. His work explores intersections between popular culture and fine art, digital and traditional media, and natural and technical worlds. This includes creating gig posters, album art, music videos, and other media for local musicians using techniques like illustration, photography, digital manipulation, collage, and animation. In recognition of his exemplary professional performance, service, and leadership, Olson was named the 2022 Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association. A recent key publication is "Investigating how AI tools mirror and mimic visual art," published in 2025. Olson has contributed to professional development through presentations on topics such as digital visual culture and animation tools in art education.