Edward Dickson Reeder began his art education under Sallie Blyth Mummert and Sallie Gillespie before attending the Art Students' League in New York. He later traveled to Europe and studied with Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17.

Dickson Reeder and his wife, Flora Blanc, established and directed the Reeder School of Theater and Design in Fort Worth (1946-1958).