Diana Arnold is a third generation Bozeman native. Completing a medical lab internship at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital allowed her to work as a Medical Lab Technologist for several local doctors. Always interested in antiques and collectibles Diana owned and operated an antique shop for five years and continued to sell at antique shows during the 1980’s and 90’s. She grew up attending local schools and got her BA in Metalsmithing and a K-12 teaching certification in Art from MSU in 1988. Diana acted as gallery director for the MSU Exit Gallery during her last two years of undergraduate work.
In 1989 she headed south to Las Cruces, New Mexico to attend New Mexico State University . She graduated in 1992 with a MFA in Metalsmithing. Her work has sold in art galleries in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. She has taught at all levels of education giving her 25 years of teaching and work experience .
In 1998
Diana was finally able to start building her dream studio in Bear
Canyon. An auto accident in 1999 presented an opportunity to move in
another direction. Bear Canyon School of Art and Craft opened in 2003
through the combined efforts of Diana, Vicki Fish and Ken Bova. The school has provided a chance for Diana to share her knowledge and express her love for teaching.
In her studio work she uses a variety of jewelry materials. This includes small collectibles and interesting artifacts collected over many years. She uses various metalsmithing techniques to create small intimate spaces that engage the observer through content and surface treatment to produce wearable art.
Vicki Fish was
born and raised in the Midwest, she got the bug to head west and came to Montana after graduating from high school. She received her BA in art from Montana State University in 1987 and continued her westward migration where she made Kodiak Island, Alaska home. She left Kodiak for San Francisco to earn her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, then returned to island life for the next 15 years where she worked as a mom, bartender and carpenter and was actively involved in the local art scene as a board member of the Kodiak Island Visual Arts League, founding member of the Kodiak Island Arts and Crafts Cooperative, and mixed media and drawing instructor at the University of Alaska, Kodiak College. She returned to Montana to start the Bear Canyon School of Art and Craft and pursue life as a full-time artist. Happy to be in Bozeman and inspired by her family, friends and the beauty around her, she shares a house on the wrong side of the tracks with her son, Isaac and Millie, the stray catShe is known for her sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical mixed media constructions that tell stories, reflect on the human condition, and relay the ironies of life's situations. Her work is influenced by myths, humor, personal journeys, human nature, and great stuff. She exhibits throughout the U.S. www.vickifish.com
