In “Those of Us Still Living” Jim Arendt presents compelling and evocative work that explores themes of identity, labor, and place. Using a range of mediums, including fabric, coal, and reclaimed materials, Arendt integrates personal and societal narratives, reflecting on the experiences of working-class communities. His artwork is marked by a distinctive visual language that blends abstraction and figuration, creating poignant, layered representations of resilience, struggle, and transformation. Through his practice, Arendt gives voice to often overlooked or marginalized perspectives, while exploring the complex intersection of individual and collective histories.

Jim Arendt is a Professor of Visual Arts at Coastal Carolina University. He received his BFA from Kendall College of Art & Design and his MFA from the University of South Carolina. He has participated in residency programs including The Fields Project in Illinois, Arrowmont’s Tactility Forum, and From Waste to Art VI in Baku, Azerbaijan. Arendt received First Prize during In the Round: UNC Ashville’s 1st Biennial Outdoor Sculpture Competition, Fiberarts International 2019, was short-listed for The 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art and a 2018 finalist for the Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA. He has received the South Carolina Arts Commission Visual Artist Fellowship 2014 and his work received top prize at ArtFields 2013. His work was chosen for the 2013 Museum Rijswijk Textile Biennial, Netherlands, and he has work include in the Arkansas Art Center’s permanent collection of contemporary craft.

Exhibition Hours

Opening Reception: February 20: 4 - 7 p.m., with artist lecture at 5 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.