Dan Tranberg was born in Newark, NJ on March 5, 1964. Before moving to Cleveland, he received a BFA in ceramics from Northern Illinois University in 1988, before earning his MFA in drawing and photography from Purdue University in 1991 and later studying contemporary art theory and criticism in Chicago at the University of Illinois.

Tranberg lectured and taught painting as an adjunct faculty member at CIA for more than 15 years. One of the region’s most respected art critics, Tranberg began writing for the Plain Dealer in 1991. Other publications include Art in America and Bomb, as well as locally for the Cleveland Free Times. He published more than 750 articles on art in local, national and international publications, and his personal work has been exhibited in more than 40 exhibitions.