Dan Olsen, a print media technician who served the (AMPD) for more than four decades, has died at 71.
When Olsen finished his bachelor of fine arts in 1979 at 91ɫ, instead of leaving, he made the University his home.
For 41 years, he worked in the Department of Visual Art and Art History (VAAH) as a technician within the print media area, overseeing the daily operations of a specialized space where AMPD students learn printmaking, the process of transferring inked images from prepared surfaces onto paper using presses and other tools.
Much of the role happens behind the scenes – including coordinating studio schedules and maintaining equipment and supplies. Because these processes rely on dedicated equipment, materials and controlled working conditions, students depend on an experienced technician to help them develop their skills and complete coursework.
Olsen exemplified these responsibilities, playing an active part in student learning by guiding them and supporting their work in the studio.
“As technician, teacher and mentor, he supported and encouraged generations of students, creating a cooperative and dynamic environment where they could realize their goals,” says Barbara Balfour, professor emerita, who worked with Olsen for over two decades. He even helped them do so when ideas pushed the limits of conventional approaches or required creative problem-solving in the studio.
“Dan always seriously entertained students’ unorthodox technical questions, only discouraging them when health and safety considerations prevailed,” she says.
For Daryl Vocat, the current print media technician in VAAH, that was part of who Olsen was, and something that continues to inspire his own approach to the job. “I remember Dan as someone who was happy to lend a hand, and as someone who made the studio a welcome and friendly place,” he says.
The long-term impact of Olsen’s generosity, patience and technical knowledge was recognized through honours like the AMPD Award of Excellence Staff Recognition Award in 2019 for his career efforts and the annual Dan Olsen Print Media Award, named after him when he retired in 2020.
Olsen’s impact is recognized in other meaningful ways. David Scott Armstrong, an associate professor who worked with Olsen for 17 years, says when he meets former students who were part of VAAH’s printmaking community, a frequent question arises. “They ask, with a glimmer of fond recollection in their eye, ‘Is Dan still there?’”
He may no longer be, but his influence continues to be felt in the studio and in the work of the many artists he supported over the years.
“Dan brought so much to this community over the years, and all who knew him – students, artists, teachers, colleagues – are grateful for all that we have learned from him,” says Armstrong. “Faculty and course offerings came and went, but Dan was there through it all. He was a vital presence and spirit that made 91ɫ's printmaking community strong and enduring.”