Dawn Wiley Bio

Welcome to my webpage. I have been the Elementary Art Instructor for Harlan and Lincoln schools in Mt. Pleasant since 2008.  I was born in East Hartford, Connecticut, growing up in Rhode Island and Maine. I have a B.A. in Theater from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA and graduate studies in theater from Yale University. My husband and I were in professional theater in upstate New York before moving to Mt. Pleasant in 1991.

 

I enjoyed the years as a Prop Artist working at various theaters across the country, the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico being one of my favorites. During this time I worked on the Academy Award winning short film, “Molly’s Pilgrim.”

 

There isn’t a lot of professional theater work in SE Iowa, so in 2001 I decided to go back to school to get my teaching certification from Iowa Wesleyan College. I then taught K-12 Art for four years at Notre Dame School in Burlington, Iowa, where students nominated me for the Hawkeye’s “Teacher of the Year” for three straight years.

 

I have also enjoyed working with the Mt. Pleasant Community Theater for about 25 years, designing and supervising the construction and painting of the scenery for countless productions.

 

It is a joy to teach art to your children.  I love when they discover that yellow and blue make green!  When they try something new for the first time....and are proud of what they have created.  

 

Every child is and artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.  -Pablo Picasso