I was asked again to write about the "Chicago Art Open" exhibition, which took place in October. Once more, I found it an awesome and somewhat overwhelming responsibility. The catalog called this the "largest exhibition of artwork by Chicago artists under one roof," and I don't doubt it. This is an annual, non-juried show open to Chicago-area professional and student artists, organized by the Chicago Artists' Coalition. Professional artists are selected based on their exhbition history and the submission of several slides of consistent, recent work. Student artists must be enrolled in college-level art programs at schools and universities in the area. Work can be in any style, theme, or media. For the visitor, this strategy created a great opportunity to see the incredible variety of excellent artwork which is being done by Chicago artists. For the critic, it was a little bit like comparing apples to oranges.

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The exhibit of student art offered viewers a preview of the talented students, who will soon be graduating and joining in the ranks of Chicago's professional artists. Kelly Stachura's untitled photograph of a dancer demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the use of negative space. The dancer is lying on her back, head toward the camera and arms, brightly lit, extended up, in the form of a circle, which doesn't close. Instead the hands seem to be suspended from the ankles, which are also held up in the air, crossed one over the other, as if they're just hanging there in space. The remainder of the picture and of the dancer's body is hidden in utter darkness. The lines are simple, almost stark, minimalist, very modern looking in a way, but their precision also tickles the mind with the suggestion that this might be a code or some ancient, esoteric religious symbol.