Originally from Rochester, MIchigan, Brunvand moved to Salt Lake City in 1982. After receiving her MFA in 2003 from the University of Utah she co-founded Saltgrass Printmakers, a non-profit printmaking studio and gallery located in Sugarhouse. As well as teaching studio and art education courses, Brunvand has also developed and taught a variety of professional development workshops for K-12 educators. These workshops have been delivered for the University of Utah, Salt Lake Art Center (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, UMOCA), Jordan School District, Salt lake School District, Granite School District, and Art Works For Kids.