Ryan Arnott was born in 1952 in Vancouver, British Columbia,but grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. Arnott was interested in art an an early age, and even as an elementary school student, his talent was recognized. He attended the University of Regina, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975. During this time, he also attended artists' workshops at Emma Lake, Saskatchewan. Arnott then studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax (1977), where he lived for six years. Arnott returned to Regina in 1982, where in addition to his own art-making he has taught others and worked to develop the artistic community. Arnott is a founding member of Neutral Ground, an artist-run centre. Arnott has worked in a variety of media, from sculpture to printmaking, from photography to painting. His first solo exhibition, in 1977 at Eye Level Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, consisted of drawings and collages. In 1989, an exhibition of his work, 'smALL Matters', toured throughout Saskatchewan schools as part of the MacKenzie Art Gallery's outreach program. Arnott often uses word play and humour in his work, and incorporates familiar objects: "Some of the simplest things can make interesting art." Arnott has traveled widely, including to Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Israel; these excursions have provided much inspiration for his work.