The editor and publisher of Brutarian magazine, a fringe culture magazine based on the concept of art brut, Dominick Salemi attended the University of Notre Dame from 1974 to 1978, where he was a dean list student majoring in English and Philosophy. He then attended Wake Forest University from 1980 to 1983, majoring in law, where he received a juris doctor degree. After graduating from Notre Dame, Salemi worked as contract specialist for the Office of Education from 1978 to 1980 and later as a trademark attorney for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
