Fellowship Spotlight
Petrina Arnold is Assiniboine from Fort Belknap, Montana. At eight years old, her family moved to Cloquet, Minnesota to the Fond du Lac reservation. Although she is enrolled in Ft. Belknap, Arnold considers Fond du Lac her community.
Petrina Arnold is a porcupine quillwork artist and instructor of porcupine appliqué. She was taught by her mother, who was taught by her mother and by her mother before her. “So what I teach is an ancient art,” says Arnold.
Arnold is a 2021 Artist in Business Leadership Fellow, and what motivates her to teach is family. “My grandchildren are my biggest motivation in practicing my art,” says Arnold. “It is important for me to pass on this knowledge to them, and hopefully one day [I will] see my grandchildren quilling.”
Arnold’s quillwork reflects designs found in the natural world, and she uses raw materials in her work. “Long before Europeans brought glass beads,” explains Arnold, “We used porcupine quills and other natural things, like bone shell and feathers, to decorate our clothing and other regalia.”
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Learn more about Petrina Arnold by following her on Facebook.
