Dunn was born on 2 December 1903 in Pottawatomie County, Kansas and educated in Chicago. She first encountered Native American art at the Field Museum in Chicago in 1925. In 1928, Dunn traveled to New Mexico for the first time, where she taught second grade at the Santo Domingo Pueblo Day School, located south of Santa Fe.
Dunn was born on December 2nd, 1903, in Pottawatomie County, Kansas and received her education in Chicago. She first encountered Native American art at the Field Museum in Chicago in 1925. In 1928, Dunn traveled to New Mexico for the first time, where she taught second grade at the Santo Domingo Pueblo Day School located south of Santa Fe.