Herb Brown was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1923. Brown's career path was not always artistic; he majored in electrical engineering at Northeastern University and the University of Illinois. Soon, Brown realized his calling was down a different road and entered the Boston Museum School and Brooklyn Museum School, where he designed stage sets for A Hat Full of Rain, The Matchmaker, Antigone, and Picnic. Brown has since exhibited his original pieces all over the country.