College of Arts & Communication at UW-Whitewater

In the next few weeks this blog will introduce you to the creative minds of our Creative Enterprise Symposium on Monday April 11^th. We are taking a look Inside the Creative Mind and will interview four different creative people to find out the path they took on their creative journey.

Amy Arntson – Artist – UW-Whitewater Emerita Art Professor

Amy received her BFA from Michigan State University her MFA from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and her career path includes graphic designer, author, art and design professor and as a constant thread through it all . . .  Artist. She is a member the College of Arts and Communication Advisory Board and is currently a working artist. Her work can be viewed here (http://www.amyarntson.net/home.htm)

She grew up in the Great Lakes Region and water has been a powerful symbol throughout her life. Her art reflects her fascination with water both in her choice of medium and subject matter.  “I’ve examined a wide variety of media and concepts, but consistently line and wash and watercolor are the most beautiful to my eye.” – Amy Arntson

Amy Arntson was a professor of Art & Design at UW-Whitewater from 1982-2004 and during her time on campus was Department Chairperson, Graphic Design Area Head, and Interim Associate Dean. She wrote several of the classes in the departmental curriculum on disciplines ranging from Illustration to Design History to Computer Graphics.  She authored multiple editions of the national/international publications Graphic Design Basics I-VI, 2011, and Computer Graphic Basics, 2006. In addition to creating art she currently teaches workshops and participates in Artist in Residency programs in the Great Lakes region.

Her paintings are widely shown and collected. While a faculty member at UWW she exhibited artwork internationally in the Florence (Italy) Bienniale as well as locations in China, England and more. She served as an art/design consultant to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. Recently the acclaimed American Artist “Watercolor” magazine featured several of Arntson’s paintings in a six-page article.  Her recent solo and featured artist exhibitions include the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) on the Lake, Water Street Gallery, Capitol Lakes Gallery, Wilson Center for the Arts, Piante Gallery, James Watrous Gallery, as well as many group exhibitions.

Together with UWW Communications faculty, Arntson has given lectures and presentations on visual communications concepts on several continents speaking on topics such as: “Images and Identities in a Global Society”, “Technology and Visual Language”. Her solo shows are accompanied by presentations such as “Art and Ideas”, “Nature as Metaphor” and “The Visual Dance” that emphasize connections between disciplines.  Much of her artwork explores the concepts of time and place through paintings of water.

Arntson’s students in the UWW Art and Design program have gone on to jobs in art education, art directing, illustration, Graphic Design and Social Media Management. Many of them continue to create their own Fine Art. They use a wide variety of visual and conceptual skills.