Dana Squires

 

Primary Discipline: Visual Arts

Areas of Specialty: Painting, Drawing, Mixed media/Installation

 

Based in: Olympia
Phone: 360-357-7214
Email: dana@mixx96.com

 

Biography: Dana Squires lives in Olympia in a periwinkle colored house. She cooks spicy food that her teenage daughters wont eat, but that she and her husband love. After graduating from The Evergreen State College in 1979, Squires worked as Art Director for an independent music publication of the Lost Music Network. She also began showing her artwork at, what is now the William Traver Gallery in Seattle. Eventually she joined the Peace Corps, traveling to both Senegal and the Solomon Islands. Her extensive travel experiences and her interest in food have influenced much of her work. Squires has completed numerous commissions through the Washington State Art in Public Places program. She has taught art through Arts Building Curriculum, a joint project of the Olympia School District and the Olympia Arts Commission. She has also taught at the Thurston County Refugee Center.

 

When asked about her approach as a Teaching Artist, Ms. Squires wrote this: ”I believe in interdisciplinary education. Art is intertwined with the science of color, the geometry of form, the math of perspective and the expression of inter- and intrapersonal communication. Because of this, many opportunities exist for tying my work into the classroom curriculum. When I teach, I present art as a cultural expression. I often include art and stories from other cultures because they illustrate so well the interconnections between art and other forms of cultural expression. I also help students learn to see, and interpret what they see. This involves looking at the world around them and translating their personal impressions into artwork. It also involves learning to look at art in such a way that the intentions of the artist can be understood. I enjoy working with children. They have much to teach me as well.”

 

Suitable for Grades: K-12
Preferred Grades: K-12

Curriculum Integration Possibilities: Literacy, Reading, Writing, Math, History, Social Studies, Other Arts Disciplines

 

Additional Interests/Experience:

• Working with students who are English Language Learners

 

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