Anteroom offers alternative art gallery
Students take initiative with studio in Uptown neighborhood

By Matthew Jaster
A&E Editor

Andrew J. Scott/The Chronicle Justin Hemmingson (left) and Nathan Dalton stand next to a painting by Roumen Kirinkov at the Anteroom, 4450 N. Sheridan Road.

What good is art if there's nobody to appreciate it? While art exhibitions in Chicago cater to all kinds of interests and tastes, some Columbia students feel they're not taken seriously as artists.

Instead of sitting around and complaining about it, Jeremiah Barber, Justin Hemmingson, Nellie Skallerup and Chris Watkins have taken some initiative to get their work to the general public.

"It's hard to go to a gallery and look or act like a student; people don't take you seriously," Hemmingson said. "We moved into our apartment last September with the intention of opening our own art studio."

With the help of track lighting and extra wall space, the artists were able to transform their own Uptown apartment into the Anteroom, an intimate art setting that features Columbia students as well as artists from the community.

Last October, the group began hunting down other artists with the same ambition and drive. They prepared for the event by printing out 200 invitations, hoping the show would generate some buzz around campus.

On Dec. 12, 2003, the four artists opened their front door for an art show titled "Patients Handled." They were surprised to find that word-of-mouth was an extremely effective marketing tool.

"We estimated that maybe 100 people would come," Hemmingson said. "We ended up having between 150 and 175."

Along with wine and hors d'oeuvres, the apartment offered a small studio space where patrons could examine each piece individually, instead of being overwhelmed by too many visuals. While some exhibits try to cram images down your throat, the Anteroom presents a nice, quiet alternative.

With the success of "Patients Handled," the Anteroom plans to open its next show on April 16.

The theme for this project will be inner anatomical movement. They're currently taking submissions from any artists interested in participating in the event.

By February, they plan to release a magazine that intertwines the art at the studio with works of poetry and fiction. Edited by Nathan Dalton, the magazine plans to take the same artistic route as the studio.

It will offer young writers a chance to publish work that may not have any other outlets.

"The idea is to form a community of artists in Chicago, not just at Columbia," Dalton said. "It's good for us to take some initiative. After the first show, we realized there are people willing to help get this thing started."

Once the first issue gets off the ground, Dalton plans on releasing an issue to coincide with every new gallery event at the studio.

"It was hard to get people involved at first," Dalton said. "Now we've got enough work to keep the magazine going for a long time."

For the April show, Hemmingson promises the event will be more professional.

"We've got one show under our belt, so we know what to expect the next time around," he said.

As for how long the group intends on using the apartment on Sheridan Road to showcase their artwork, Hemmingson is direct and to the point.

"We'll keep doing this until we don't have a dime to our name," he said.

While some students sit around and talk about how passionate they are about their work, there are few who actually go out and do something about it.

The Anteroom was created by artists willing to take some initiative instead of waiting for success to land in their lap.

"We're not restricting any art medium with this," Dalton said. "We hope that students 18 to 24 realize they don't have to just go to school to do their projects."

Hemmingson quickly agrees with this notion.

"I couldn't just go to school and make projects for the man," he said. "I've got to do some things for myself."

"Patients Handled" is open through January at the Anteroom, 4450 N. Sheridan Road. Please call (773) 807-3347 to make an appointment. If you're interested in presenting some artwork for the next gallery show, contact Jeremiah Barber at (773) 817-5354.