Underpinnings: A Group Exhibition

Chad Erpelding, Continental Shift: S&P ASX 200, Nikkei, JSE Top 40, FTSE 100, Bovespa, Dow Jones Industrial Average: 2019 (detail), 12 x 183 inches, Acrylic latex on canvases, 2020

Jen Broemel, Marika Christofides, Chad Erpelding, Michael Thompson

October 5 - November 7, 2026

Dear friends of the gallery,

Underpinnings: A Group Exhibition continues this week in the Gallery!

The exhibition features ceramics, printmaking, mixed media, painting, and fiber artworks by four highly respected and nationally recognized artists. The artists include Jen Broemel (Indianapolis), Marika Christofides (Stillwater, Oklahoma), Chad Erpelding (Boise, Idaho), and Michael Thompson (Chicago). Jen Broemel is a fiber artist and designer; Marika Christofides is a printmaker and installation artist who is an assistant professor of Studio Art at Oklahoma State University; Chad Erpelding is a painter and professor of Art, Drawing and Painting at Boise State University; and Michael Thompson is a multimedia artist who has received several fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council.

Chad Erpelding, Homes Sold vs Homes Built: US: 2011-2020, 24 x 36 inches, Acrylic latex on canvases, 2024

Chad Erpelding, Unemployment vs Job Creation: US: 2011-2020, 24 x 36 inches, Acrylic latex on canvases, 2024

Through inventive material experimentation, the artists explore identity, storytelling, material history, mapping, and systems. Their artwork investigates and reveals the structures that lie behind the fabric of modern society. The exhibition encourages visitors to consider the often-unseen systems and stories that influence both art and life, and how personal and collective experiences are shaped, recorded, and understood.

This week, our email features the work of Chad Erpelding. He received an MFA in painting from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2006 and has developed a body of work that investigates various representations of information concerning corporations, globalization, and economics. His recent solo exhibitions include SomoS Art House, Pinebox Art Center, Nagoya Zokei University, and ONONO Gallery. He has received artist residencies and has had his work featured in group shows throughout the US and internationally. Erpelding was also awarded the Artist Fellowship Award from the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2020.

Chad Erpelding, GDP: European Union: 2019-2021, 18 x 54 inches, Acrylic latex on paper, 2023

On his work in the exhibition, Chad Erpelding wrote that “my work utilizes data visualization and systems-based strategies to investigate corporate power, economic developments, and global institutions. Pulling from the history of abstract painting, I transform color fields into data-driven formats, replacing the formal and idealistic space of Modernism with our new idol– the market. Through extensive research of corporations, political systems, stock markets, and other economic markers, I look to discover various representations of global networks and activities. My work transforms data into visually dense manifestations with conceptually disorienting elements, both revealing and concealing information. I hope my work challenges viewers to gain a new view into the powerful entities that affect aspects of all of our lives.”

To see Chad Erpelding’s work in person, visit the Gallery this week! Our open hours are Monday–Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. The exhibition will be on view until Saturday, November 7.

See you in the Gallery,

Lisa Costello

Director, Giertz Gallery

Your donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of the Giertz Gallery through a direct donation.

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Giertz Gallery at Parkland College

2400 W. Bradley Ave

Champaign, IL 61821

Please note! Once on campus, locating the Gallery is a breeze. Start by using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of campus. Enter through door X7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point on the first floor, where the Gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area.

All events in the accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodations, call 217/353-2338 or email accessibilityservices@parkland.edu.

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