WASHINGTON, PA (Feb 26, 2018)—Artist Jim Arendt will display his exhibit “Frayed” at Olin Fine Art Gallery March 9 to April 8. An opening reception will be held March 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with an artist talk at 6:30 p.m.
Constructed from donated and reclaimed denim, Jim Arendt’s work explores transitions in macroeconomic structures and its effects on individual lives, communities, and labor. As the landscape of work and labor continue to shift, Arendt creates life-sized figures from jeans as a means to investigate the impact of the division of labor and the alienation from work on individual lives.
“My art is about labor. I remember my father sitting at the sewing machine patching his Wranglers in the evening. He was making do: a concept of thrift and pragmatism that dictates you work with the materials at hand,” Arendt said in an artist statement. “That memory mixed with the stories of other working people and led me to denim as a possible material. The inherent qualities of denim make it a good choice. It is a universal fabric born in the dust of the cotton field, made supple by the sweat of garment workers, and embedded with the fading of second shift evenings.”
Arendt lives and works in Conway, S.C., where he is an Assistant Professor and Gallery Director at Coastal Carolina University. He received his MFA from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. and his BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Mich.
All Olin Fine Art Gallery events and exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Gallery is located at 285 East Wheeling Street in Washington, Pa. It is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. during exhibition dates. The Gallery is closed during college breaks.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
