Glenn Gant was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1911 and studied there in the public schools. With his interest in the visual arts, and finding little in the way of art instruction at his school, Glenn enrolled in night classes at the Kansas City Art Institute in his junior year. He graduated from the School of Art, beginning a lifetime of dedication to his profession.

During the 1950's, Gant became acquainted with Thomas Hart Benton and his wife Rita and assisted them in the construction and decoration of Benton's frames. in 1958, he first came to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and began documentation of the natural beauty of Eureka Springs and its people.