We received this bit of local arts news Tuesday afternoon:

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Minneapolis College of Arts and Design (MCAD), one of the nation's oldest and most esteemed art and design colleges, has hired Joan Grathwol Olson as vice president of institutional advancement. Olson will lead the development office with an emphasis on fundraising, and will coordinate efforts by the communications office to raise the college's regional and national visibility. "I am extremely excited to welcome Joan as an instrumental member of our senior management team," said Jay Coogan, president of MCAD. "Her background is perfectly suited to advancing new partnerships, programs, and relationships with donors, alumni, and community leaders. Her innovative, strategic, and highly-engaged approach to institutional advancement is a perfect fit for what we seek to build within our donor community at MCAD." Olson comes to MCAD from a sixteen-year career at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. As MIA's director of development, Olson raised $103 million for Bring Art to Life, one of the largest capital and endowment campaigns conducted by a Minnesota cultural organization. She grew annual contributions to record levels and cultivated relationships through her launch of The Circle, a program designed to connect young arts lovers with the MIA. Olson gained fundraising experience as director of development for WomenVenture, director of development for Northwest Ballet, and as manager of special projects for Twin Cities Public Television. She began her career as a development associate with Minnesota Public Radio. Olson is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a past president of the Art Museum Development Association. She has been involved as a board member or leadership volunteer with a number of Minnesota-based arts, education, and civic organizations, including the Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts, Ascension Church, Cedarcrest Academy, and Forecast Public Art. She earned a baccalauréat degree with honors from Lycée d'Etat de Pont-à-Mousson, France and a BA in economics and French from St. Catherine University.