Jessie Mott, Madonna with Rabbits, 2008.

Which of the following artworks did a student create: the oil “painting” spattered on almost-blank pieces of paper and posterboard—one of which sports a shred of masking tape—or the haunting, tattoolike painting of the Sacred Heart, a plane dropping bombs, Aztec motifs and a severed forearm? The first piece is by Howard Fonda, whose recent solo show at the Hyde Park Art Center received rave reviews; we assume he retrieved this untitled 2007 work from his studio scrap heap. The second is SAIC student Eric Garcia’s Sangre (2008). Both are included in devening projects + editions’ “Paper Love.”

Upon entering Dan Devening’s West Side gallery, you may be overwhelmed by the 71 pieces encircling the small room at eye level. Viewers must guess which featured artists are emerging and which are established: Works by master-of-fine-arts students at the SAIC and Northwestern hang next to those by local legends such as William Conger and Judy Ledgerwood as well as up-and-comers like Deborah Boardman and Cody Hudson. This democratic approach ensures that each of the 50-plus artists is appreciated on his or her own terms—which is fortunate, because some of the student work has more of an impact than the masters’ B-sides.

Conger’s bright-colored, small-scale 2004 abstract collage glows like a stained-glass window; Ledgerwood’s Inner Vision (2007), a painting of a stylized flower, is cheerful enough. But these works deliver what we expect from these artists, while asking little of us. A lively untitled illustration by Garcia’s classmate Jonathan Gillette—which depicts a shirtless, middle-aged man whose cat clambers over his hairy torso—probably will stay with you longer. A third SAIC student, Mike Nudelman, contributes the humorous My Floating Head (2008)—a portrait of his disembodied head, executed in ballpoint pen, that casts a realistic shadow. Northwestern graduate student Jessie Mott’s work is equally bizarre and amusing: Her dreamlike 2008 photographic collages, Madonna with Rabbits and Madonna Reclining, surround a blond in S&M wear—who is not, in fact, clearly identifiable as the pop star—with incongruous bunnies, deer and guinea pigs.

The pros’ representational works often contain a similarly naughty humor, such as Don Doe’s untitled 2004 watercolor of a sexy, saber-wielding “pirate gal.” While Doe displays his pirate’s charms front and center, Christopher Daniels hides the jokes in his 2008 crayon-and-pencil drawing of a crowd of people: The fun, for viewers, is finding the tiny astronaut, conjoined twins, warring cowboys and Indians, and other unexpected figures in the multitude of tiny illustrations.

These works counteract the more serious and less interesting aspects of the abstract and text-based works that dominate the show. Boardman’s single enigmatic drawing lacks punch without the artist’s signature story-based network of illustrations. Once viewers determine what the half-recognizable letters on Evan Berodt’s painting say—hint: The work is called Go Away (Mirror Image)—the piece has little to offer.

Since the gallery does not place the many disparate elements of “Paper Love” in context, you may leave unsure where works on paper are going. At least the show’s unusual confidence in student work suggests they’re heading in the right direction.