James Arendt has been named the new director of the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Coastal Carolina University.

Arendt is a graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in painting. He also earned a bachelor’s degree at Kendall College of Art and Design. Arendt has studied art in England and Spain, and has given lectures across South Carolina. He was previously the gallery director of the FAB Gallery at South Carolina State University and was an instructor at USC.

As director of the Bryan Gallery, Arendt is responsible for bringing talent to CCU and organizing six to eight contemporary art exhibits a year. He is also teaching a drawing class.

In his teaching efforts and his work with Bryan Gallery, Arendt looks to enhance students’ perception of the art profession. “Because of the dynamic interactions and teaching experiences the gallery is able to facilitate, our students graduate better able to perceive the pathways to success.”