Aug. 18, 2026
Contact Sherri Lisota at 608-796-3753 or sjlisota@viterbo.edu
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Piece/Work, an exhibit of denim sculpture by award-winning artist Jim Arendt, will be on display in the Viterbo University Margaret A. Ewert Gallery from Wednesday, Sept. 2–Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Arendt, a professor of visual arts at Coastal Carolina University, will be at Viterbo University Wednesday, Sept. 30 for an artist demonstration and workshop from 12:30–3 p.m. in Fine Arts Center 301, a reception from 4–5 p.m. in the Margaret A. Ewert Gallery, and an artist talk from 5–6 p.m. in Fine Arts Center 219. All events are free and open to the public.
“My practice is rooted in understanding how we relate to labor…,” wrote Arendt in his artist statement. “Persistence in difficult times is the art I’m most interested in. I continue to be inspired by the ways in which people make do for themselves. Whether it was a trip to the scrapyard or the back of the pantry, there was usually a way to work around material deficits. I use the shared memories and skills that those around me do out of a need for function, beauty, or survival to honor them, mixing memory and materials to create something of value from nothing.”
Arendt earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kendall College of Art & Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina. He has participated in residency programs including The Vermont Studio Center, The Fields Project in Illinois, and From Waste to Art VI in Baku, Azerbaijan. He’s also been invited to teach at Penland School of Craft, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and Peters Valley School of Craft. Among his many accolades, Arendt received the $50,000 top prize at ArtFields 2013. His work is included in the Arkansas Art Center’s permanent collection of contemporary craft and the South Carolina State Museum’s permanent collection.
There is no admission fee to the Margaret A. Ewert Gallery, which is located on the third floor of the Viterbo Fine Arts Center. The gallery is open from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. when school is in session. For the full schedule of Viterbo University gallery exhibits, visit www.viterbo.edu/gallery.
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