Ten in One on the Fence
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Ten in One may not be closing its doors at 1542 N. Damen–at least not in the foreseeable future–but if the gallery does relocate, New York’s gain would be Chicago’s loss. Over the past nine years, Ten in One has been a premier venue for young, conceptually oriented artists, and Leib’s hustle and marketing savvy have brought attention to a diverse group of mostly local painters and sculptors, including Walter Andersons, Stephanie Brooks, Tom Denlinger, Michelle Grabner, Tatsuya McCoy, Rebecca Morris, and John Spear. Leib has beaten the odds by running a commercial gallery that sells work other dealers might call “risky”; in a recent show, for example, New York artist Carlos Mollura displayed a pair of inflatable sculptures.
A Lincolnwood native, Leib has never pulled punches when taking on the hometown crowd. In the March New Art Examiner, he complained that local collectors by and large don’t support more adventurous local artists: “How much energy do you put into chasing them in a town that doesn’t care enough?… It’s hard to keep the momentum going with such a small audience.” Too often, he says, collectors wait for artists to receive a critical seal of approval before buying.
The reality of a different marketplace hit home last month. Two weeks ago, the Busy Bee building, where Ten in One is housed, was sold, leaving Leib in a truly uncomfortable space. He had considered extending his current lease–which expires August 31, 1999–but now that doesn’t appear to be an option. The new owner, Mitchell Gerson, has given Leib the choice of either breaking his lease or staying until it runs out. A new restaurant will be going in next door, and Busy Bee proprietor Sophie Madej believes Gerson plans for it to also take over Leib’s space. Gerson was out of town this week and referred questions to property manager Toby Richardson, who says “it’s too soon to tell” what’s going to happen to the building.
Lewis Lazare is on vacation.
