Writing/Essay/Journal
Bettye Olson says that being an artist is a job from which you can’t be “hired, fired or retired.” She continues to find joy and balance in her art.

Write about something that gives you joy and devise a plan to would allow yourself to keep it in your life for the next 60 years.

Activity
In the exhibit “Persistence of Vision,” the curator shows pairs of paintings from Bettye’s early and later periods. Although her technique has evolved, Bettye consistently celebrates an expressive vision of nature and movement.

Identify one skill you have been developing (and documenting) for a length of time. This skill can be a certain artistic medium, or something like a sport or speechmaking. Find an example of earlier work in that medium and compare it to your current work. Bring in examples of early and present work to present side by side. Prepare a quick speech on your own “persistence of vision.” What similarities shine through in your work across time, and where are there changes?