Dan Howard was born on August 4, 1931 in Iowa City, Iowa and received both his BA and MFA from the University of Iowa. In 1958, he joined the faculty at Arkansas State University and was appointed chairman in 1965. He went on to serve as chairman of the art department at Kansas State University before finally becoming chairman of the art department at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1974.

Influenced by artists of such varying styles as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, De Kooning and Jack Levine, as well as many of the German Neo-Expressionists*, Dan Howard's work often blurs the line between representational* and abstract art*. His experimentation with different canvas preparations, his use of intense colors and his expressive brush strokes have created a myriad of visual combinations in his characteristic larger-sized oil paintings. The result is an emphasis on audience participation and the role of individual interpretation. "I want to make the viewer part of the process. That makes for a richer experience," Howard says.