Art B. Martin was promoted to Captain in 1943 after graduating from the University of Arkansas Medical School.  Martin served in Europe as a battalion sergeant for the 301st Medical Battalion, 76th Infantry Division, with General George Patton's Third Army. He earned the Bronze Star Medal, the East Africa Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon with three campaign stars, and the Victory Medal prior to his discharge in August 1945.

He then joined the Holt-Krock Clinic in Fort Smith where he practiced internal medicine from 1945 to 1983. He was Chief of Staff at Sparks Regional Medical Center and was on staff at Mercy Fort Smith and Crawford County Memorial Hospital. He served on the Board of Directors at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock and was President of the Sebastian County Medical Association. In 2003, he retired after 25 years as the Medical Director of the Methodist Nursing Home, totaling 60 years of medical service to Arkansas.

Martin was also invested in local history and worked to restore the trolley system in Fort Smith, founding the Trolley Museum. He was a board member of the Fort Smith Clayton House and the Fort Smith Noon Exchange Program. He contributed to the restoration of the Greenwood Tower Clock salvaged from the County Courthouse and served on the Board of Directors of the Girls Club and Westark Boy Scout Council.