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​​​​Unpacked Mobile Gallery provides accessible exhibitions, docent-led tours and workshops across the Midwest.

 

 

Mission Statement 


Our Mission includes museum and gallery accessibility; the importance of art as experience; and the relationship between institutions, society, and artists. Unpacked exhibitions expand free community art outreach and engagement programs with organizations such as Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA), IN and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA), IL.

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About Unpacked Mobile Gallery

 

Unpacked is an artist-run project space founded in 2017 by artists Lauren Iacoponi (Director), Naomi Elson (Operations Manager), and ​Shane Elliot Bowers (Co-Founder, Active 2017-2022). 

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Unpacked Mobile Gallery acts as a platform for social change, exploring topics of contemporary feminism, trans identity, LGBTQIA+ issues (Come As You Are), societal discontentment and the vanishing middle class (Discontentment), cultural diaspora and the importance of preserving history and culture (Maktub), sustainability and environmental stewardship (Home Grown, July 2026). In addition to exhibitions centered around universal concepts, such as symbolism (un·pack) and color (Color in Transit). 

 

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Unpacked Mobile Gallery Serves 

 

Civic and Green Spaces
Public Parks, Community Gardens, and Public Libraries


Midwest Regions
Chicago Neighborhoods and Rural Communities

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Cultural Institutions

Nonprofit Spaces, Gallery Districts, Museums, and Artist Residency Sites

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Academic Institutions 

Universities, High Schools, Middle Schools, and Elementary Schools

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Youth Programs and Advocacy Centers

After School Programs, Education Hubs, Community Based Learning Centers, and Adult Learning Centers that serve Neurodivergent Adults and Adults with Diverse Abilities.

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Neighborhoods and Festivals

Art Crawls, Block Parties, and Art Districts

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Faith and Community Centers 

Mosques, Ministries, and Churches

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Unpacked has exhibited 26 artists across 7 exhibitions as of 2025. 

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     Sites in Illinois 

  • Chicago's West Loop

  • Comfort Station (Logan Square)

  • Pilsen Alliance

  • Chicago's Muslim Cultural Center

  • UIC’s Arab American Cultural Center

  • Northern Illinois University's Annual Art Crawl (Dekalb)

  • Northern Illinois University’s Winter Art Convocation 

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    Sites in Indiana

  • Paladin Learning Community

  • Boys and Girls Club at Hailmann Elementary

  • Boys and Girls Club at Kingsford Heights Elementary

  • Downtown Michigan City, Site of Bernard Williams Artist Residency

  • Walker Street Park Community Garden

  • High Praise Ministry during their Back to School Block Party

  • Gardena Park

  • Smart Center (serves senior citizens and offers after-school care)

  • Westville Public Library

  • Westville Public High School

  • New Hope Missionary Baptist Church

  • La Crosse Public Library

  • Wise Center (community center)

  • Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ Family Day 

     Upcoming Site Visits in Illinois 

  • Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art

  • Weaving Mill Dye Garden & Seed Library

  • Sand Ridge Nature Center

  • Cook County Forest Preserve

  • Spudnik Press

  • Comfort Station (Logan Square)

  • Chicago Parks and Community Gardens

    More information here

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