BOZEMAN — Annie Arthurs admits she makes “a lot of fish art. Like a lot.”
And now the Montana State University alumna has done it on a global scale.
From more than 200 submissions nationwide, the outdoor brand Chaco selected Arthurs as one of 12 finalists competing to design a sandal that was released Oct. 26. Chaco is known for its sandals in the outdoor adventures space. Arthurs’ “Midwest Nature” design received more than 18,600 votes from the public on social media and earned first place among the finalists. Sandals with the design are now available for people to buy and wear around the world.
“I feel like I haven't really realized it yet. I don't know if you've ever seen those posts that say, ‘Oh, if you have 100 people who like your post, imagine 100 people in front of you.’ I cannot imagine 18,000,” said Arthurs, a 2025 graduate of MSU’s graphic design program in the College of Arts and Architecture.
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Her sandal strap alternates illustrations of loons and trout, sprinkled with stars and striped dark green, orange and yellow. The design intertwines her West Bloomfield, Michigan, roots with fond memories of fly fishing with her father in Montana while she attended MSU, she said.
Arthurs said nature has always been a throughline in her work, even in second grade when she sold drawings of flowers to her peers for 25 cents so she could buy cookies during lunch. It became the basis of her apparel and design business, Own Little World, which she started at MSU. She continues handmaking her designs through the business today and has sold her designs in more than 40 U.S. states, while also creating billboards as a graphic designer for Reagan Outdoor Advertising in Salt Lake City.
In the darkroom of MSU’s printmaking studio, she “burned” screens to create stencils for her Own Little World shirts, hats and bandanas. The burning process allowed Arthurs to transfer designs onto a mesh screen by coating it in emulsion, laying it beneath a film image and exposing it to ultraviolet light.
From the exposure emerged galloping horses and docile bunnies. Arthurs said her work encapsulates the childlike wonder of her younger self, who once wanted to be a ladybug when she grew up — that is, until her older sister told her it wasn’t possible.
She printed posters at MSU to sell during Tuesday farmers markets and the Bozeman MADE Fair. One of her first forays into selling her work was during MSU’s annual student art market, which she appreciated for its inclusion of all artists without requiring prior market experience like many professional markets do and her ability to track her improvement with selling items each year.
“It was a really great way to start a business, having all those facilities there,” she said. “And I really miss them after college. I was like, ‘I'm not going to get posters for 70 cents apiece anymore. I will never have that deal again.’”
Printmaking classes were Arthurs’ favorites at MSU, and she took nearly all the university had to offer. She said she appreciated taking inspiration from students of all majors in the School of Art, who had creative approaches to assignments.
Art professor Gesine Janzen said the classes foster creative problem solvers who gain familiarity with a variety of techniques, from woodblock printing to stone lithography — a rarity in university settings — which uses oil, water and stone. She said Arthurs’ work, which often humanized animals, exuded joy.
“Annie brought with her a really positive energy and sense of humor,” Janzen said. “In her work, there was almost always a sense of playfulness and humor that I really appreciated.”
Arthurs transferred into MSU’s graphic design program from the University of Utah, drawn to MSU’s expertise in networking, internships and hands-on class projects with clients compared to other schools. This year, Graphic Design USA named MSU one of the top design schools in the nation. Arthurs said her professors’ emphasis on craftsmanship, polishing the presentation of her work and paying attention to detail helped her set higher standards for her art outside of college.
She said she has always wanted to work in the outdoor design space and is excited to get her foot in the door of the industry with a notable brand like Chaco.
“At MSU, they definitely encourage you to take an opportunity when it comes up, and that's what I did,” Arthurs said. “It seems to have worked out.”
