[5] During his studies at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Amiotte attended a workshop from Oscar Howe in 1961.

Amiotte promotes Lakota rituals and the visionary experiences during the traditional ceremonies also find their impact on his artistic work.

Amiotte defines his work as being bound to the reservation culture which bridges the gap between yesterday and today, a split which is often mastered in an amazing manner.

They were familiar with print media, exposed to lots of magazines, pictures, photographs... Daily life was infused with this mixture of nonliterate/literate.

In a pointed and sharp-witted manner, they reveal the discrepancy of Lakota culture between tradition and modernism ("The Visit," 1995, Acrylic-Collage; Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Wyoming).

He also explores experiences of Lakota people in Europe, during the Wild West show era of the early 20th century.

That same year, Amiotte was awarded the Bush Leadership Fellowship,[18] which allowed him to study Northern Plains art collections in the United States and Europe at the University of Montana-Missoula.

[11][19] Arthur Amiotte holds honorary doctorates from the Oglala Lakota College and the Brandon University, Manitoba.