Jim Arendt Artist Reception

UPSTATE Gallery on Main presents “Frayed,” a selection of denim drawings by prominent Conway, S.C., multidisciplinary artist Jim Arendt. The exhibition, which opens on Nov. 8 and runs through Dec. 30, features approximately a dozen of Arendt’s recent works. An artist’s reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 17. This event is free and open to the public.

Growing up just outside the industrial city of Flint, Mich., Arendt explores the effects of the changing industrial landscape on the working class while shattering romanticized ideals and stereotypes. In his work, he portrays both individual struggles and larger economic and sociological issues through a variety of materials, but perhaps most strikingly with the ubiquitous fabric of denim. For the works included in “Frayed,” Arendt cut, sewed, and glued pieces of reclaimed denim, often donated by his subjects, into strongly emotive, life-sized portraits of his friends and family members.