Terry Rathje grew up in a small town in Eastern Iowa, and largely because of boredom turned to making art at an early age. After a childhood of drawing, he turned to painting, printmaking, and sculpture. After numerous ventures and jobs, including welding, construction, leathersmithing and signpainting, he obtained a B.A. in Computer Graphics from Marycrest International University in Davenport, IA where he went on to teach animation before becoming a professor of Graphic Design at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois- where he taught animation, graphic design, typography, portfolio development, and occasionally digital photography. He has an M.A. and an M.F.A. in 3D Design from the University of Iowa. His main areas of work include assemblage involving words made from recycled letters, sculptural objects, and nomadic architecture- that is, small buildings that can be disassembled and reassembled in a new location. He has exhibited in England, Brazil, Portugal, Turkey, Australia, Suriname, and the U.S.