Arnold briefly attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before enlisting in U.S. Army and serving in Korea from 1950 to 1952.
[1] Arnold developed an artistic practice that utilized collage and assemblage to address and explore American popular culture.
[5] In 1969, Arnold began a position as an assistant professor of painting at Rockford University, followed by work at Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois.
He was an influential facility member at Loyola, named chairman of the art department, and remained at the University through 2000.
[7] In 2006, the Pauls Foundation created two scholarship funds in memory of Arnold at Loyola University and at Chicago Academy for the Arts.