Open since 2001, C33 is youngest among Columbia College's four [C] Spaces, Columbia College's answer to further showcase its students' and faculty work. Measuring about 400 square-feet around, the tiny gallery is truly a no-frills space, with no sound system to speak of.

The idea, as Columbia staffers envision, is to breed not just a venue for artists, but rather a networking and chill-out-or-study area. While some of its siblings boast coffee shops, upholstered chairs, design tables and professional performance equipment, C33 can only fit a podium, a few backless wooden benches and a couple high tops. Most exhibits, which feature sculptures, sketches, paintings and photography, dominate the makeshift walls blocking the Wabash/Congress-facing windows.

Mostly thanks to its locale, C33's got its charm. Located just beneath the Red Line, the gallery benefits from natural strobes of sunlight, well worth the occasional pause-to-glance, puncturing your conversation with your newfound gallery buddy. Paired with a view of the arches of the Auditorium Theatre across the street, the gallery offers a fine natural ambiance.

Past exhibits have seen students' work breaking the boundaries of traditional art forms: everything from 2-D fiber sculptures to 200 pieces of Shojo Manga, Japanese comics created for women.

Centerstage Reviewer: Gavin Paul