PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
2004 - Adlai E. Stevenson Library, Lincolnshire, IL
ARTIST RESIDENCY
2020 - Crisis Residency: Creativity In-Place, Kate Hooray Osmond, Founder
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 - “Well Behaved”, Socialization & Gender, Culture Lab LIC, Queens, NY
2021 - Miami Art Week, SCOPE Art Show, Booth C#07, Miami, FL
2020 - “Touch”, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2020 - “We Will Meet Again”, New Apostle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2020 - “I Listen to Color II”, Frank Juarez Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2020 - School of Visual Arts Thesis Show, New York, NY
2020 - “2020 All Stars”, Society for Photographic Education (SPE) FotoFika
2020 - “Reclaimed”, SVA Gramercy Gallery, New York, NY
2019 - Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2019 - “Mirrored Displays”, SVA Gramercy Gallery, New York, NY
2019 - Greenpoint Open Studios, Brooklyn, NY
2019 - Fall Salon and Spring Salon, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2018 - Fall Salon, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2006 - Multimedia Art Showcase, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
2005 - “On Gender”, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
2004 - North Suburban Conference Art Show, Chicagoland, IL
2003 - North Suburban Conference Art Show, Chicagoland, IL
2003 - 24th Annual Consortium Art Festival, Chicagoland, IL
PUBLICATIONS
2021 - “Seeing the Possibilities, Seeing Red,” Kolaj Magazine, Printed Issue #34, condensed version online https://kolajmagazine.com/content/content/articles/seeing-the-possibilities-seeing-red/, Montreal, Quebec, pg. 20-26
2021 - “Artist Profile,” Be Open Art, Online Publication, https://art.beopenfuture.com/heather-olker/
2020 - “The Class of 2020,” In the In-Between: The Journal for New and New Media Photography, Online Magazine, New York, NY, https://www.inthein-between.com/the-class-of-2020/
2020 - See & Discover, Artdose Magazine, Milwaukee, WI
2020 - “Touch: Facebook Live Opening,” Chicago Gallery News, Online Magazine, Chicago, IL, https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/touch-facebook-live-opening
2009 - Suzanne Bell Ph.D, Belau, Larisa, Briggs, Andrea, Olker, Heather, et al. “Team Efficacy Development: The Role of Relationship Demography and Feedback,” the 24th annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference, New Orleans, LA
AWARDS AND HONORS
2020, 2022, 2023 - Best of Weddings Award, The Knot, International
2020, 2022, 2023 - Couple’s Choice Award, Wedding Wire, International
2019, 2020 - Full-Time Assistantship Grant, School of Visual Arts, New York
2018, 2019 - Alice Beck-Odette Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, New York
2015 - Essential Piece Award, Equity LifeStyle Properties, Chicago, IL
2008 - Magna Cum Laude graduation honors, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
2008 - National Honor Society of Collegiate Scholars
2004 - 08 - Dean’s Award for Scholastic Excellence, Chicago, IL
2004 - DePaul Centennial Scholarship, Chicago, IL
2003, 2004 - All Conference Honor, Artistic Excellence Award, Chicago, IL
2003 - Art Excellence Award, Adlai E. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, IL
VISITING ARTIST LECTURER
2021 - Artist Talk, Crisis Residency, Kate Hooray Osmond, Charleston, SC
2020 - Artdose Talks, Artdose Magazine, Milwaukee, WI
2019 - Visiting Lecturer, Event Planning Certification, CUNY, The Bronx, NY
2019 - Artist Talk, MFA Photo, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2018 - Artist Talk, Intergrad Artist Society, New York, NY
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2022 - We Are Here, Photoville New York, Co-Curators Natasha Chuk, PhD., and Heather Olker, MFA, collaborate on a group exhibition that focuses on the beauty of our varied gender, sexuality and racial identities, and linking that back to the depth of human emotions and diversity of lived experience.
2021 - Forced Identities Co-Curators Natasha Chuk, PhD., and Heather Olker, MFA, developed a group exhibition of womxn identifying artists working across mediums who critique visual culture and mass media representation.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2022-Current: Adjunct Professor of Art, Visual Literacy Course, face-to-face and online formats, Humanities Division, Union College, Cranford, NJ
2021: Visiting Lecturer, Remixing Old and New Technologies: Art + the Machine Course, Natasha Chuk, PhD, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2020: Educator, Mixed Media and Feminism Workshop, MFA Photo, Video and Related Media, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2019-2020: Graduate Assistant to Elinor Carucci, Photography Critique Course, MFA Photo and Video, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2013-2018: Educator, Leadership, Business, Customer Service, Software, and Self-Management Classes, Equity LifeStyle Properties, Chicago, IL
STUDIED UNDER ACCLAIMED ARTISTS, WRITERS & CURATORS
Wardell Milan, Shimon Attie, Liz Deschenes, Elinor Carucci, Chris Callis, Magda Sawon, Natasha Chuk, Marvin Heiferman, and Lyle Rexer
HEATHER OLKER PHOTOGRAPHY CLIENT LIST
Diane Von Furstenberg, Fotografiska Museum NY, Refinery Hotel, Dunkin Donuts, TOAST, GrubHub, David Campany, Okay Player, Art Bodega Magazine, HANDL, Volvo, We Are Women Owned (WAWO), Larry Roger Sr., Chef Wayne Carrington, Outdoors Empowered, Inspiring Hope, Edra Couture, RL Accelerated, and the School of Visual Arts
EDITORIAL AND COMMERCIAL PUBLICATIONS
2022 - Santos, Gracelyn. “Staten Island’s Best Dressed: The wedding of Nicole […]“. Staten Island Advance Oct. 4 2022: https://www.silive.com/gracelyn/2022/10/staten-islands-best-dressed-the-wedding-of-nicole-hermansen-and-phil-buccigrossi-at-the-hamilton-manor-hamilton-nj.html
2022 - Leenas, Maggie. “Retired NYPD Officer Brings His Own Take on Ramen to New Jersey.” New Jersey Monthly Jan. 10 2022: https://njmonthly.com/articles/eat-drink/table-hopping/retired-nypd-officer-brings-his-own-take-on-ramen-to-new-jersey/
2021 - Art Bodega Magazine, Special Spring 2021 Issue, The Equestrian Issue, New York City and South Florida, Featuring Kat Fuqua, pg. (majority of pages)
2021 - Art Bodega Magazine, Spring 2021 Issue, The Equestrian Issue, San Juan and Puerto Rico, Featuring Brock Pierce, pg. (majority of pages)
2021 - Influencer Magazine, Online Magazine, January 26, http://www.influencermagazine.news/?p=12112
2021 - XO John, “Featured, The Scene”, Online Magazine, January 25, https://xojohn.com/2021/01/art-bodega-magazine-celebrates-style-issue/
2008 - Chicago Unzipped, Third Edition, pg. 8, 70, 71, 74, 76, 78, 80, 81
EDUCATION
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY - Master of Fine Arts, 2020
Photography, Video and Related Media
DePaul University, Chicago, IL - Bachelor of Arts, 2008
Psychology, Advertising, Public Relations, Digital Cinema, and Photography