Erik A. Evensen/EH-ven-sen/ is a graphic designer, illustrator, and educator whose creative work often reinterprets topics from history, mythology, and folklore. His projects have been called “innovative and groundbreaking” by Graphic Novel Reporter, “a thrill” by Ain’t It Cool News, “literate and entertaining” by Geeks of Doom, and “smart and snarky” by BookList. His Xeric-winning debut graphic novel, Gods of Asgard, has been featured and sold at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and the Wexner Center for the Arts, and adopted as a textbook at James Madison University, Marshall University, Purdue University, and Gustavus Adolphus College. His projects have been featured online at AV Club, Nerdist.com, and Geek & Sundry, and in print in Graphic Design USA and the Washington Post.
Erik is an Associate Professor and Director of the MFA in Design at the University of Wisconsin–Stout. His creative work, research, and teaching focus on the synthesis of illustration and visual communication design, specializing in design drawing and visualization, concept art, and illustration. He has presented at and reviewed for academic conferences sponsored by the Design and Emotion Society, the International Association of Societies for Design Research (IASDR), Motion Design Education (MODE) Summit, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
Erik holds an MFA in Visual Communication Design from Ohio State University, and a BA in Studio Art from the University of New Hampshire, with post-baccalaureate study at Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Prior to entering the “family business” of education, he spent several years as a graphic designer specializing in advertising, branding, publication design, and digital illustration. He is married to conductor/composer Erika Svanoe.
NOTE: Evensen is pronounced with a short E, just as it is in Norway.
