Arno Goetz creates sculptures, rogue gardens, fine design objects, and prints which engage with the cyclical nature of objects and raw materials. Wood becomes chair, and chair becomes material which Goetz transforms through systems of material alchemy. With materials like paper, bronze, plaster, wax, dirt, and steel, Goetz folds, polishes, tears; stitches, molds, and cleans. Everyday objects like grids, kazoos, paper towels, and bowls also become the raw materials of his practice. Goetz creates physical allegories of these objects by mimicking them in non-native materials, asking questions about authorship and reproduction while expanding our definitions of printmaking. In the Annex Garden Project, a land-based installation on the Cranbrook Academy of Art campus, he worked with the institution to develop a temporary landscaping policy for a 15’ x 80’ space outside his studio. Informed by the no-tilling process in agricultural production, Goetz encouraged a policy of non-control and minimal human intervention, which allowed the grassy monoculture to develop into a vibrant, complicated ecosystem. The needs of the institution were often at odds with the needs of the garden, and Goetz made prints, photographs, and sculptures about the relationship between artist, institution, and the pursuit of non-control.
Arno Goetz began by making photographs; throughout 2012-2016, the work he made as a high school student exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally. Goetz then attended Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), where he made drawings, sculptures, and paintings. In 2018, Goetz lived in Italy and was introduced to printmaking while studying at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence. After returning to St. Louis, he continued with the printing press and focused on themes of non-control and chance aesthetics. In 2020, Goetz graduated from WashU and received his BFA in Fine Art and a minor in Art History/Archeology. After graduating, he returned to Dallas where he worked under Barvo, a Texas-based bronze sculptor, and added metals to his knowledge set. After working with Barvo and learning how to operate a large studio, Goetz decided to continue his education. He received his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2023, studying under Emmy Bright and Cooper Holoweski the Print Media Department. He currently lives in Dallas and teaches at the University of North Texas.