Designer and artist Aaron Squadroni lives in Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota where he spends his days exploring the landscape of the region and creating art that is about the places he encounters. Focusing on themes of nature, industry and memory, Squadroni creates drawings that explore the visible and unseen tensions in the landscape of northern Minnesota. References to these themes appear in Squadroni’s works of public art, most notably in his experimentation with weathered steel and mine rock.
When designing public art, Squadroni considers how the location and landscape of a community shapes its identity. He works with materials that come from the local landscape and have cultural meaning to the people living there. Through research and experimentation, he is able to use materials in new ways that speak to the past, present, and future of a region.
A graduate of the University of Minnesota Masters of Architecture program, Squadroni’s design experience has allowed him to produce public art that combines landscape, furniture and sculpture for many communities throughout Minnesota.