Project Unincorporated MN is a photo documentary focusing on 22 unincorporated towns in Northern MN. This exhibit gives a presence and captures the essence of these rural, unincorporated towns It tells a story of their resilience, self-reliance, and shared histories as seen through the lens of various industries such as the railroads, logging, homesteading, and tourism.

The exhibit celebrates the natural beauty of these areas, recognizes their freedom from governmental constraints, and acknowledges the rise and fall of economics and commerce. It also serves as tribute to the historical remnants of these towns and to the remarkable people who live in them. -Laura Grisamore

Laura Grisamore is a photographer, co-owner of Studio 176- a small art gallery in downtown Park Rapids- and a substitute teacher in Nevis, MN. A native Iowan, she studied photojournalism at the University of Iowa. Her early work captured urban and social landscapes in Des Moines, Iowa City, Chicago, and New York City. After relocating to Park Rapids in 2013, she shifted her focus to Northern Minnesota’s natural landscapes and evolved her style to include conceptual and fine art photography. Since 2014, Laura has showcased her work at numerous art festivals in the Park Rapids area and exhibited at Great River Arts, The Watermark, Nemeth Art Center, NY Mills Cultural Center, and The Armory in Park Rapids. In 2024, she received a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to launch Project Unincorporated MN, documenting unincorporated towns in rural Northern MN and making a return to her documentary roots.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.