Though only 22, Kelly Stachura has been included in over 30 exhibitions since beginning her undergraduate study of art at William Rainey Harper College and then The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. These include solo shows at Siragusa Gallery in Chicago as well as many group exhibitions in spaces such as the Limner Gallery in New York and the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. In addition, her artwork is permanently housed at Harper College and the Joan Flasch Artists' Books Collection at the School.

This is Stachura's fourth year in the the "Chicago Art Open." In the past three she has done installation work, but this year she will present an untitled black and white photograph of a dancer. She describes the piece as "very simple with a clear contrast of black void against limbs in space."

Her background is in theater/dance and her experiences in relationship to growing up around the stage environment have shaped both how she perceives the world and how she sees and makes art. When Stachura photographs dancers, she sees them as "sculptural objects moving through space." In the same way, she sees a fiber-based piece as "an object existing in space." Because of this kind of seeing, she is able to work in any medium. She speaks of a continuum when she talks about her work. She talks about all that she perceives and takes in.

When asked if she would like to cite any other influences on her artmaking, Stachura said that her teachers have given her inspiration, and she mentioned the photography of Gregory Crewdson as well. She is interested in his sensibility and his ability to be "a sculptor in space with characters and staged environments."

Stachura says that she has had great experiences at the "Chicago Art Open" and appreciates the chance to be able to choose what she exhibits since she often does not have this opportunity.