Jim Drain

With their thick, cartoonish contours and psychedelic colors, Jim Drain’s benches are hard to miss. Upon closer inspection it is clear they are composed largely of manufactured handrails, that one everyday element has become an integral part of another functional form. From 1995 to 2001 Drain was a member of the now-disbanded Providence art collective known as Fort Thunder. The group of young artists and musicians lived and worked in a former textile factory in the Olneyville section of the city. There Drain became known for knitted costumes worn in performances and featuring vibrant colors similar to the benches.