Danny Schafer was born in Bananera, Izabal, Guatemala, in 1937.

He received his training as an artist and designer at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon) in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he studied painting and design from 1955 to 1960. Upon graduation, he returned to Guatemala and dedicated his life to art.

In 1964, together with the artist Luis Díaz, he founded the first private contemporary art gallery in the country, Galería DS. This institution played an important role in the Guatemalan art movement in the 1960s, because thanks to Schafer's academic training and Díaz's aesthetic concern, the gallery soon became a space in which conceptual art was presented.  The focus of the gallery included the first installations and assemblage works created in Guatemala. It was during this time that Daniel began designing silkscreen invitations and posters, which were used as promotional support for the activities presented in the gallery.

In 1970, he founded the Screen Printing Gallery and Workshop “etc.”. As part of his work in the workshop, he designed posters for other art-related activities, the most important being the Juannio Art Auction, a beloved yearly art auction fundraiser campaign for the benefit of children with disabilities.

From 1970 to 1974 he joined the Community Theater of Guatemala as resident director. During his participation in the theater, Schafer's design had an important presence, both in terms of the scenography and the graphic material used. to announce the work.

From 1975 to 1992 he dedicated himself to teaching drawing and design at the Boston Architectural Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1993 he returned to Guatemala and worked on different projects as an artistic advisor for different institutions, such as the G & T Foundation, the Patronato de Bellas Artes and Galería el Attico, among others.

In 2001 he founded the drawing, painting and design workshop "ds2", dedicated to teaching and exhibiting innovative art projects. In 2002, at ds2, he presented the exhibition Begin the Beguine / Volver a Empezar, exhibiting a series of silkscreen engravings.

In May 2003 he presented the Schafer exhibition "Cuaderno # 57" at the Guatemalan American Institute (IGA), accompanied by a conference entitled My First Notebook.

Danny Schafer passed away surrounded by family and friends on February 9, 2004.