Dan Murphy is a studio artist and professor teaching ceramics in the Art Department. He earned his undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and MA and MFA degrees from The University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Since joining the faculty at USU he has participated in 55 invitational exhibitions including six exhibitions in conjunction with the annual conferences of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). During the 2005 conference in Baltimore, not only was Murphy's wood fired jar one of only 68 selected from 1621 entries, but also garnered an Award of Excellence.
 
Murphy is in demand as a lecturer and workshop leader. He has made 21 such presentations at universities and art centers across the country during his tenure as assistant professor at USU. He participated three international wood fire conferences, exhibiting and and presenting at all. Murphy was one of the organizers for the international wood fire conference entitled "Twenty + One" held on the Campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona,and served as master of ceremonies during the entire conference.
 
His dedication to students and commitment to teaching complements his research success. Murphy’s students exhibit successfully at the national level and have brought broad recognition for the ceramics program in the Art Department. One recent BFA students was awarded both "The Regina Brown Undergraduate Student Fellowship" at the 2007 NCECA conference in Louisville, and "Best of Show" during the national juried exhibition entitled "History in the Making." Recent graduates from the USU ceramics program have gone on to graduate school, professional residency programs, employment at ceramic centers, teaching in higher education and, of course, careers as studio artists..
 
Murphy has twenty years experience firing wood-burning kilns and was recently  invited to participate in the "First International Anagama Seminar" at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Murphy has been invited back to Arrowmont to work with students during a summer workshop in 2008. Other upcoming events for him include a residency at the MacNamara Foundation in Maine, presentations as visiting artist at Syracuse and East Carolina Universities and an exhibition at Akar Gallery in Iowa City, Iowa.