Contact: Kyla Kruse

SPRINGFIELD — The Trutter Museum & Murray Gallery at Lincoln Land Community College will host the exhibit “Unboxed: A Study in Black and Primary” Sept. 28-Oct. 23. The exhibit features works by Illinois native Austin Wells who uses cardboard, primary colors, mixed media and layered imagery. The public is invited to view the exhibit weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and attend an artist discussion with light refreshments in the museum/gallery on Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The museum and gallery are located on the upper level of Menard Hall on the LLCC Springfield campus, 5250 Shepherd Road.

“Unboxed” explores Black identity, memory, movement and culture through images of dancers, historical figures, self-portraits, street art, shoes and scenes inspired by the Black experience in the Midwest. Through interconnected narratives, Wells celebrates the complexity, creativity and resilience of Black life while challenging viewers to reconsider assumptions about representation and identity.

Wells transforms cardboard into a metaphor for rebuilding, remembering and redefining. The layered imagery and symbolism invite multiple interpretations, connecting personal experience with collective memory. “Unboxed” encourages viewers to think about the stories we inherit and the ways we move beyond the boxes others create for us.

Wells is a graduate of Lincoln Land Community College and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and he currently teaches art at Riverton High School. He has served as curator of the annual “Noir” exhibition for the last three years.

Learn more about LLCC’s Trutter Museum & Murray Gallery and its exhibits at www.llcc.edu/trutter-murray.