Dean Pulver is a full-time sculptor and furniture maker working in wood. Growing up in a multicultural family of artists in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was influenced by both of his parents: his German and Irish father, a commercial illustrator, art director, and painter, and his Japanese mother, a clothing designer and fiber artist.

In 1987, Pulver graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art in sculpture. Since then, he has been exhibiting and teaching extensively in the United States. With artworks shown in galleries and museum exhibitions and collections including the Fuller Craft Museum, Bellevue Art Museum and The Center for Art in Wood, one can also find the artist's previous trade of fine art functional furniture collected into impressive museums.

Pulver has taught at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Penland School of Crafts, and the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.  In 2017, the artist was awarded the Bob Stocksdale International Award for Creativity from the Center for Art in Wood. 

Now, the artist has been living in Taos, New Mexico for over 20 years with his wife, ceramic artist Abby Salsbury. The couple is currently developing “Taos Mesa Arts”, a center for exhibitions, classes, retreats, and residencies.