Dan Concholar was born in San Antonio, Texas. His father was a black cowboy and trained horses. His family moved to Phoenix when he was young, and before finishing high school, he moved to Los Angeles to live with his sister. He enrolled at the Otis Art Institute and took classes with Charles White. He also met David Hammons, John Riddle, Jr., and Timothy Washington while there.
In 1969, he became involved with the Black Artists Council, a group concerned with sharing information and raising the awareness of the works of black artists to a larger audience. The BAC effectively lobbied the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the 1970s, bringing about some very important exhibitions for black artists.
Concholar was very active in the LA art scene, exhibiting at Brockman Gallery, Gallery 32, and Ankrum Gallery. His friend, artist David Hammons convinced him to move to New York in 1980, and he was introduced to Linda Goode Bryant, who was the founding director of Just Above Midtown Gallery. Bryant’s roster included several artists who had moved from LA: Hammons, Senga Nengudi, Marion Hassinger, and Houston Conwill.
Concholar’s work was included in the exhibition, Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980.
