Liesl Olson Named Director of Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

The University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts is pleased to announce that Liesl Olson has accepted the position of Director of the Jane Addams Hull Hull-House Museum, effective March 1, 2023, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Liesl Olson is a respected scholar, cultural leader, and social justice advocate who most recently built and directed the Chicago Studies program at the Newberry Library. This innovative series of public events, teacher institutes, workshops, and seminars utilized the library’s unique archival collection to bring Chicago’s rich and complex history to life. It is distinguished by its many partnerships and far reach and has focused on such historical subjects as the neighborhood of Hull-House, the legacy of protest and riots in Chicago, the Great Migration, and the history of artists, writers, and performers in Chicago and the Midwest.

Ross Stanton Jordan, interim director and curatorial manager, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, welcomed Olson’s appointment:

“For over two years, during a turbulent period for public institutions and democratic ideals, Hull-House Museum staff have worked to bring forward Hull-House’s legacy to inform the present moment. Liesl Olson’s leadership, energy, and scholarship will further embolden the museum’s work. Welcome, Liesl!”

Rebecca Rugg, dean of UIC’s College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts, hails Olson’s appointment:

“The promise of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in the twenty-first century relies on the stewardship of Addams’ prescient ideals and public practice through visionary programming for diverse audiences. Liesl Olson has demonstrated her leadership in this capacity through the Newberry’s Chicago Studies program, and she will do the same at UIC. We are thrilled to welcome her.”

Olson says of her a new role:

“I am honored and thrilled to lead the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum into an exciting new era. I have long admired Hull-House for the way it exemplifies the historic intersection between the arts and activism in Chicago. I hope to bring the distinctiveness of this city’s cultural life into conversations that help us broaden our understanding of the city’s history and its contemporary challenges. I look forward to working with the extraordinary staff at Hull-House, with students, faculty, and staff at UIC, and with neighborhood partners across the city. Together we can carry forth a vision of social justice that inspired one of my great heroes, the feminist, activist, and champion of the arts, Jane Addams.”

To learn more about Liesl Olson and the appointment click the link below. Welcome to Hull-House Liesl Olson!

 Learn more about the appointment