He is the son of Louis B. Monaco, an Italian immigrant; restaurant owner and entrepreneur.
John Steinbeck and Lewis Milestone had a house in Jay, NY and they encouraged him to go to Hollywood.
After graduating from Pratt, he worked at Hollywood, MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Disney Studios for about four years, until enlisting in the army in 1941.
[3][4][5] As a Master Sergeant, he moved to Camp Santa Anita, a horse track turned army base.
[8] In the early 1950s, he set up his own business with his brother, Jim Monaco, and wife Glad in an old hotel of his father.
Arto designed Santa's Workshop, North Pole Park in Wilmington, New York.
In the early 1950s Arto designed Old MacDonald's Farm in Lake Placid, New York; it was a smaller park & only stayed open for a few years.
In 1952, Arto was a consultant and designed some parts for Frontier Town in North Hudson, New York.
[13] Arto designed Gaslight Village in Lake George, owned by Charley Wood.
Arto was a consultant to Montreal's Expo'67 World's Fair, which was at La Ronde Amusement Park.
He designed and built a fairy castle for the park, after Charlie Wood acquired it in 1982.
[17][18] "The Strawberry Roan film," 1948 He worked with Friz Freleng, who came over from Warner Brothers, and William Hanna, later of Hanna-Barbera fame.
[19] Arto's mural of a Canadian hunting party and was painted in 1940 on the wall of the Local Village Inn.
NY Senator Stafford presented the award to Mr. Schwartz & Arto Monaco.
Arto illustrated 17 books and he continued making games and toys; some which he gave as gifts.
He donated whimsical furniture to the libraries in Upper Jay & Au Sable Forks for the children's sections.