Mat Ollig (Visual Arts 2002) Speaks for Dedication 2025

September 16, 2025

Mat Ollig (Visual Arts 2002)

Dedication Day 2025 was September 15. Dedication is a Perpich tradition where new students and faculty/staff are welcomed into the Perpich community. The faculty speaker, Ryan Meaney (English Instructor), spoke about discovery, “School is for discovery. Discovery not just through gaining knowledge, though that is important, but discovery of who you are.” Our alumni speaker, Mat Ollig (Visual Arts 2002), shared a beautiful reflection on the evolution of dedication in his life and his artistic journey. Our alumni performer, Herb Johnson III (Dance 2010), gave a powerful Krump dance performance.

During Mat’s speech, he said, “Being at Perpich were some of the best memories of my childhood. It gave me the confidence and the guidance I needed to follow my dreams…of being the next Bob Ross, until Craig Farmer taught me that there were other, better artists and so much incredible artwork that I could be inspired by.” Mat continued by relating to the current student body. “25 years ago, I was where you are right now: in a new school, in a new city. Scared, but excited. Everything started out right here. Perpich was the key to everything I’ve accomplished. Perpich gave me the confidence, the work ethic, the curiosity, the artistic knowledge, my friends, and the hope and tenacity to follow my dreams and make art my career. So as you go about today, and in the days and weeks that follow, remember that you’re only starting your journey, and that today is not just a dedication to Perpich. Today is a day when you dedicate yourself to yourself, and you embrace all the possibilities that you can accomplish.”

Mat Ollig is a Minneapolis-based metamodernist oil painter whose work explores the intersection of digital culture and traditional oil painting. He received his BFA from MCAD, studied abroad at the Accademia di Bella Arte in Florence, Italy, and has been a working artist and oil painter for nearly 20 years. His practice echoes the legacy of pop artists like James Rosenquist, Richard Hamilton, and Roy Lichtenstein: recontextualizing mass-produced imagery to create new meaning. His work is held in numerous notable corporate collections, including the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency, the entire downtown art collection of Ogletree Deakins, Code42, and recently he has been commissioned to create a painting for the lobby of a large international tech company due to open early next year. Mat has been awarded several MN State Arts Board grants to create artwork that connects Minnesota communities. His work is currently on display at the Phipps Gallery in the exhibition “Human x Machine” which explores the impact of AI in art.

L to R: Herb Johnson III (Dance 2010) and Mat Ollig (Visual Arts 2002) pose together after the Dedication 2025 ceremony.

Mat also served on the Board for Perpich Center for Arts Education from 2014-2023. “I understand the need and importance of Perpich,” said Ollig. “Perpich was pivotal in my development as an artist and as an individual. I grew up in the small, rural community of Waverly, MN, and the Perpich Center was my first introduction to the world of fine art and my first interaction with artistically-minded peers. The Perpich Center showed me the importance of having a strong creative community where ideas and concepts could openly be discussed. Students from varying disciplines would naturally befriend each other, and allowed for the cross-pollination of ideas and insights, allowing for a richer and more creatively beneficial experience.”

Ollig joined the Perpich Board of Directors to ensure that the young creatives of Minnesota will have the same opportunities that were bestowed to him as a result of attending Perpich. Ollig believes “without the Perpich Center, I would never have thought it possible to become a professional artist, nor would I currently have the skills and ambition which allowed that opportunity.” It is his hope that others will follow in his path in their pursuit of their dreams.