William Olander facts for kids

William "Bill" R. Olander (July 14, 1950 – March 18, 1989) was an American art expert. He was a senior curator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. Before that, he worked at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Bill Olander also helped start the Visual AIDS art project.

Early Life and Education

William R. Olander was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 14, 1950. His parents were Clarence Emil Olander and Isabelle Olander. In the 1980s, he moved to New York City.

Bill Olander studied at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts. In 1983, he earned his PhD in Art History. His special paper was about French painting and the French Revolution.

Career as an Art Curator

In 1979, Olander became a curator for modern art at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. This museum is run by Oberlin College. From 1983 to 1984, he was the acting director there.

He helped with several art shows at the museum. In 1980, he wrote for the "From Reinhardt to Christo" exhibition. He also put together the "Young Americans" show in 1981. In 1984, he curated "New Voices 4: Women & The Media, New Video."

In 1982, Olander wrote an essay for an art book called Face It: 10 Contemporary Artists. This book was for a show in Cincinnati. In 1984, he also curated an exhibition called Drawings: After Photography. He wrote texts for its catalog.

From 1985, he worked as a curator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. He focused on performance art and video. He was especially interested in post-modernist ideas in art.

Notable Exhibitions

In 1987, Bill Olander curated an exhibition called On View at the New Museum. This show included an art piece by ACT UP. It also featured works by Charles Clough and Mimi Thompson.

Another exhibition he curated in 1987 was "FAKE." This show explored the idea of what is real versus what is fake in art. It looked at how artists use these ideas.

In 1988, Olander wrote an essay called An Artistic Agenda. This was for a book about the LACE art space. He also worked on One Plus or Minus One with Lucy Lippard.

Some of his writings were published after he passed away in 1990. These included Discourses: Conversations in Post Modern Art and Culture and Discussions in contemporary culture.

Fighting AIDS with Art

Bill Olander used art to raise awareness about important social issues. He played a key role in bringing attention to the AIDS crisis through art.

The "Let the Record Show" Project

In 1987, Olander invited a group called the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) to create an art display. This display was for the museum's window facing Broadway.

The art group Gran Fury created the display. It was a collection of information about AIDS. It showed how many people seemed to ignore those affected by AIDS. Olander explained that the art showed people alone, as if they were only seen as victims.

He invited ACT UP after posters saying Silence=Death appeared in New York. The "Let the Record Show" (1987) display became a very famous artwork at the New Museum.

Visual AIDS Organization

In 1988, Olander helped create Visual AIDS. He worked with other art professionals like Robert Atkins, Thomas Sokolowski, and Gary Garrels.

Visual AIDS was a group that encouraged discussions about the AIDS epidemic through art. Today, Visual AIDS gives the "Bill Olander Award" every year. This award honors artists or art workers living with HIV.

Later Life

Bill Olander's partner was Christopher Cox.

Bill Olander passed away on March 18, 1989. His death was due to causes related to HIV/AIDS. He is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. Christopher Cox passed away about 18 months later.