Frank Lepkowski

Special Lecturer in Art
Office: 314 West Wilson Hall
Phone: (248) 370-3603
Email: [email protected]

Frank Lepkowski is an artist, designer and educator based in Detroit, MI. As a designer, Lepkowski specializes in UX Design, having worked in web development, automotive and gaming applications.  As an artist, he explores the role of modern technology in society both in his subject matter and his artistic process. He combines custom digital tools, printing and embroidery to create maximalist, multi-layered compositions that reflect the noise and stimuli of the digital age.

His work has been commissioned by Louis Vuitton, Takoi and Complex Media. He was a recipient of the 20/20 Emerging Artists Fellowship through Playground Detroit and the Knight Foundation. He has mounted solo and two-person exhibitions at Playground Detroit, LVL3 Gallery (Chicago, IL), and Skylab Gallery (Columbus, OH).

Education

2014
BA, Oakland University

Solo & Two-Person Exhibitions

2021
Afterimage, Playground Detroit, Detroit, MI
Mud Puddling (with Yae Jee Min), LVL3 Gallery, Chicago, IL

2019
Access Controlled / Contested (with Sarah C. Blanchette), Skylab Gallery, Columbus, OH

2017
Risk Culture, Ponyride, Detroit, MI

Public Art Commissions

2022
Takoi, Detroit, MI

2021
Louis Vuitton, Troy, MI

Group Exhibitions & Art Fairs

2022
MOCAD Benefit Gala, Detroit, MI
Nubes Art Fair, Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL

2021
SCOPE Miami Beach, Playground Detroit, Miami Beach, FL

2020
Intersect Chicago, Playground Detroit, Online via Artsy
20/20 Emerging Artists Preview Exhibition, Playground Detroit, Online via Artsy
Hot Paper, Online via GIFC
U Up?, KO Gallery, Hamtramck, MI

2019
GIFC, Galleri Golsa, Oslo, Norway

2018
GIFC, L’INCONNUE, Montreal, Canada
GIFC, Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA

2017
GIFC, 0-0 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, MI
Hundred Bucks Show, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI
Subreality, Tangent Gallery, Detroit, MI

2016
Touch Me, Tangent Gallery, Detroit, MI
Layers, Tangent Gallery, Detroit, MI
Wish You Were Here, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI

2014
Mix, Oakland University Art Gallery, Auburn Hills, MI

Selected Press

2023 
(Forthcoming) Feature in Essay’d by Mariwyn Curtin

2021
Virtual Insanity: Frank Lepkowski’s Perspective on the Digital World, SEEN Magazine
Frank Lepkowski Solo Exhibition “Afterimage”, Playground Detroit Magazine

2020
Artist of the Week: Frank Lepkowski, LVL3
20/20 Emerging Artists Fellowship Awardees Announced, Playground Detroit Magazine

2017
Meet Artist Frank Lepkowski, POEM Studio

2015 
This Graphic Designer Created the Hip-Hop Emojis You Need in Your Life, Complex

Awards & Grants

2020
20/20 Emerging Artists Fellowship, Playground Detroit, The Knight Foundation

2016
Public Juried Exhibition Award, Layers, Tangent Gallery

2014
Graphic Design Exhibition Award, Mix, Oakland University Art Gallery
Marion Adams Bunt Endowed Fund in Art and Art History, Oakland University

Speaking

2019
AIGA Propel Mentorship, Panelist, Detroit MI