Architeacher's Staff and Consultants

Michele Olsen, Ph.D., is a member of the faculty at Eastern Illinois University and the Director of the Center for the Study of Art and Architecture in Champaign. In her role as curriculum consultant to school districts and art agencies, Michele applies formal training in aesthetics and architectural history with knowledge gained through years of classroom teaching experience. She is the author of two curriculum guides and a series of audio-visual resources for teaching about art, architecture and historic preservation. Michele's list of clients include the Illinois State Board of Education, the Peoria Regional Office of Education, the Department of Defense Schools in Germany and Japan, The Sarasota Fine Arts Society, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana Thomas House Foundation and Chicago’s Art Institute and Museum of Science and Industry.
Gary L. Olsen, AIA, Project Architect, is principal in his firm, Olsen and Associates Architects. His work encompasses all phases of architectural practice including programming, design, structures, interior design, and construction supervision. His specialty in historic preservation has qualified him to provide architectural services for the restoration of several historic structures including the Coles County Courthouse and the Burnham Athenaeum. Gary has served as an Architect-in- Residence in Illinois since the beginning of the state program in 1977. He has worked in classrooms throughout Illinois and serves as a consultant to the Architect-in-Education program and the Illinois Arts Council. His work in the schools has been awarded recognition by the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education. Gary has provided inservice training to teachers at the Museum of Science and Industry and the D.O.D. Schools in Wiesbaden, Germany. He is one of nineteen regional directors for the Public Education Committee of the American Institute of Architects.
Raymond Lytle is a registered architect and the owner of ARCHIGRAPHICS, an architectural illustration firm in Champaign, Illinois. Ray originally practiced architecture in Illinois and then began to concentrate on the talent he loves so much, architectural rendering. Ray has been involved in the historic preservation effort for over 30 years, teaching at the University of Illinois, and fund raising to preserve historic sites. He is a member of the Preservation and Conservation Association. Ray is a well known book illustrator, and he has been the artistic voice of Architeacher since it's inception. You can find Ray's sketches in the books Architeacher and Historic Preservation Education, and of course, throughout this web site!