A native of Asheville, where he was recognized with the 2010 North Carolina Award, Donald Sultan has lived in New York City since 1977. A 1980-81 NEA Visual Arts Fellowship recipient, he has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. His work has been acquired by many institutions, such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Art Institute of Chicago, IL; Cincinnati Art Museum, OH; Des Moines Art Center, IA; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.