Renaissance olson

Rena first came to Yakona in 2018 as a volunteer photographer and has been deepening her relationship with its land and wildlife ever since. Today, as Yakona’s Arts & Engagement Manager, she creates nature-based arts and public experiences that invite people to slow down, notice more deeply, and form meaningful connections with the living world. She manages HeART Connections, Yakona’s nature-based arts program, guided by a simple belief: when we connect with something, we begin to care about it. A nature-based artist, educator, photographer, and conservation storyteller, Rena’s creative practice explores photography, botanical printing, natural color, textiles, and other forms of co-creation with nature. Across her work at Yakona, she seeks to create invitations to wonder, connect, and care. When she isn’t at Yakona, Rena can usually be found wandering somewhere wild with a camera in hand.