There are so many extraordinary visual artists locally. Yet the votes are in, and readers’ No. 1 is Christy Ann Skuban. A graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, her life has progressed from designing windows at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York to returning to her Midwestern roots at Artisan Forge Studios. Abstract sculptures of colorful painted pieces of wood are her muse now. No. 2 is Gabbie Henn, who at her core is a photographer and filmmaker, most recently known for her film Full, Filled describing her eating disorder in a new visually experimental way. Terry Meyer is a self-taught fine artist best known for his dramatic paintings of wild horses. — Barbara Arnold