Ruth
Olson holds a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the
University of Pennsylvania . She has extensive fieldwork experience
in the Upper Midwest , and has worked as a presenter at the
Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Wisconsin Folklife Festival
and other Midwestern folklife events. As the Local Folk Arts
Program Coordinator at the Wisconsin Arts Board, she assisted
a number of community-based projects in developing community
arts events. She has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania and
has frequently instructed teachers and other adult learners
about folklore studies and documentation methods. Recent publications
include articles in The Journal of Museum Education (1999), Wisconsin
Folk Art: A Sesquicentennial Celebration (1998), Wisconsin
Folklife: A Celebration of Wisconsin Traditions (1998),
and the 1998 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Program Book . |