Robertello, a former concert flautist at various American symphonies and current Indiana University music professor turned a side hobby into a business in April, 2006, when he opened this one-room West Loop storefront space. The body of work shown here is "not media specific," meaning he'll champion artists producing painting, sculpture, video, photography, installation and drawing he really likes. Much of the contemporary work by Robertello's up-and-coming and established resident artists feels "of the moment," notably John Delk's "Suspension of Disbelief" installation work responding to Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, J Ivcevich's "Sidewalk Soliloquy" distillations of urban landscapes, and Justin Marshall's pop-culture commentary "As Seen On TV."

Exhibitions sometimes veer into more sophisticated territory. Jason Robert Bell's "Kala Series" of paintings depicted a shockingly monstrous yet beautiful female hominid in poses both alluring and frightening. Adam Ekberg's 2007 "Lesser Deities" photographs found hints of spiritual transcendence in seemingly ordinary interior and exterior scenes.

The gallery has attracted considerable attention in a short time. It was invited, after less than a year in the neighborhood, to participate in Chicago's Bridge Art Fair and Art Basel Miami. It shared the Chicago Sun-Times' Best New Gallery of 2006 designation with nearby Navta Schulz Gallery. Its artists have consistently garnered national attention and praise, occasionally receiving international attention. The space, overshadowed by Randolph Street's mix of dingy meat-packing plants and uber-stylish dining establishments, doesn't yet receive the kind of respect shown to its older Peoria Street siblings. But its recent track record suggests it may soon get its due.

Centerstage Reviewer: Justin Sondak