The Giertz Gallery at Parkland College will present "Underpinnings: A Group Exhibition," opening Monday, October 5.
The exhibition features ceramics, printmaking, mixed media, painting, and fiber artworks by four highly respected and nationally recognized artists. These include Jen Broemel from Indianapolis, who specializes in fiber and quilting; Marika Christofides, a printmaker and installation artist from Stillwater, Oklahoma; Chad Erpelding, a painter from Boise, Idaho, and professor of art, drawing and painting at Boise State University; and Michael Thompson, a multimedia artist from Chicago, who has obtained a number of fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council.
Their work explores subjects like place and identity, storytelling, mapping, systems, interconnectedness, and material experimentation. The artists relate to the idea of underpinnings by investigating, revealing, and referring to the basic structures—whether material, conceptual, and/or emotional—that lie behind things that aren’t always obvious on the surface.
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The exhibition encourages visitors to think about the often-unseen systems and stories that influence both art and life, and to consider how personal and collective experiences are shaped, recorded, and understood.
Reception and artist lectures
A public reception will be held on Thursday, October 8, from 5:30–7 p.m. with a gallery talk by Christofides at 6:15 p.m. An assistant professor in studio art at Oklahoma State University, Christofides will also host a lecture on the same day at 1:15 p.m. at the Staerkel Planetarium.
With a master's degree in studio art and an MFA from the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies in Lexington, her work is marked by a strong sense of color, pattern, and design. As a printmaker and digital collage artist, she creates images of animals, inspired by her interest in evolutionary biology. Her work has recently been shown at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, and PrintAustin in Austin, Texas. She has completed artist residencies at Constellation Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at the Chroma Print Residency in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"I draw inspiration from the aesthetics of biological life under a microscope, using bilateral symmetry and self-similarity in my compositions," Christofides said. "Digital processes allow me to mimic the algorithmic tendencies of nature-as-designer. In contrast, printmaking allows me to create multiples with slight, often accidental variations, the same way morphology is expressed differently across members of a species. By situating my works within installation environments, I extend the act of collage to the gallery wall. In this way, I emphasize the materiality of the prints, referencing the body and building a world around them that suggests ideas of parasitism, symbiosis, and mutation."
Exhibition hours and location
Fall gallery 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 close on Saturday, November 7.
To get to the gallery, use the M6 parking lot located at the north corner of campus. Enter through door X-7, turn left, and proceed up the ramps to the highest point on the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows provide a view of the outdoor fountain area.
About Giertz Gallery
The Giertz Gallery provides a venue for the display of contemporary art, encouraging critical thinking and discussion via the visual arts and serving as a cultural center for the community. The gallery's quiet campus location promotes a substantial interaction between the artworks and the viewers, deepening both their understanding and appreciation of the arts. The variety of activities the gallery offers, including workshops and lectures, enables participants to see art in person and connect with the artists about their creative methods and career journeys.
The Giertz Gallery acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. All events in the accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland College is a Section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodations, please call 217/353-2338 or email accessibilityservices@parkland.edu.
Note: Photos of exhibit works are available. Please contact lcostello@parkland.edu.
