Olszewski Fan Club

    The Olszewski Fan Club was established by two avid and dedicated Olszewski collectors, Jacci Bednar and Wallie Reinprecht of Parma, Ohio.  The club existed from 1990 to 1998.  Jacci and Wallie embarked on the idea of Ray Olszewski, the artist's brother, to start a fan club, which they did.  The club was a "fun" club as can be seen when reading 32 newsletters called "Small Talk" that have been scanned in and are available for reading using the table below.  The content and coverage of Olszewski's activities spanned two Olszewski art eras to include Goebel Miniatures and Olszewski Studios. 

     The Olszewski Fan Club and its Small Talk Newsletters filled a much needed information void that existed about Robert Olszewski at the time.  Collectors of Bob's art made their purchases at retail shops around the U.S. and became frustrated with the lack of information about this new and upcoming artist.  Bob, who he became well known as, visited retail shops promoting the Goebel Miniature product line.  His wonderful miniature art and personality immediately captured many hearts and minds who became members of the Olszewski Fan Club. 

     The Small Talk newsletters provided useful information to collectors then and actually still does as collectors, old and new, seek background information about their tiny treasures known as Olszewski figurative art.  You will see that the club provided information about where Robert would be attending so that avid collectors would have their purchases signed.  Also, Small Talk provided information about new products Olszewski was working on and when they were going to be released by Goebel and Robert's company, Olszewski Studios.  Then, email did not really exist as it does today and the Small Talk newsletters were the best way to communicate with the collectors.

     As previously mentioned, the newsletters spanned two of Olszewski Eras, Goebel Miniatures, and Olszewski Studios, which we describe elsewhere on this web site.  Click here to take you there.  The transition from the Goebel Miniatures Era to the current Olszewski Studios era is captured in the Small Talk Newsletters.  Periodically, Jacci and Wallie would call Robert and talk for hours with him catching up on the "latest."  These two cub reporters took painstaking time and effort to translate word for word from the taped phone conversations.  Appearances, magazine articles, crossword puzzles, family information, artist insights to various pieces of art he was creating at the time where documented was some of the regular reporting. 

     Another unique thing they did was produced bumper stickers, patches, and other Bob Olszewski promotional items.  They encouraged all collectors to wear buttons, t-shirts and the like when they attended promotions to show their support for this artist.  Here are some of the images of the promotional items that the Club produced and provided as part of the $15 or $20 annual membership fee. 

     To assist those avid collectors who are seeking information about Olszewski art,  we scanned each page in a searchable and downloadable .pdf format.  You will need Adobe Reader 5.0 or later to enjoy researching and gathering information about the art and the artist.  This documentation and the historical files of the Club were provided to Ray Olszewski, the Artist's Brother, for the archives and someday to be housed in The Robert Olszewski Museum.  This museum is an ongoing effort by Ray as a tribute to Robert's legacy.

     Should you have questions, would like to provide comments, or need information about the content, please feel free to contact Olszewski Studios. This is a work in process and additional images and content will be forthcoming.

ENJOY!