T HE SECOND City Council is less than two years old, and already it is attracting attention from all over the state.
      The brainchild of photographer Cheryl Bennett (who is assisted by her indefatigable husband, Dwight, and her mother, Camilla), this community art gallery is devoted to supporting California artists, the arts and art education.
      Exhibits rotate throughout the year, with a different theme and distinguished curator for each show. Last month, Archie Boston (chair of CSULB's design department) curated a show in honor of Black History Month. In the near future, Pat Morrison has agreed to jury an exhibit of work that combines words with visual imagery.
      This month is devoted to women artists, and Barbara Drucker (internationally known artist and chair of UCLA's art department) is the juror for The Second City Council's first "Women's Festival."
      Once again, we're confronted with a large group show where each artwork on exhibit vies for your attention. Running the gamut from soft, gentle, poetic pieces to blatant feminist art that makes strong political statements, this exhibit is as diverse as the women who created it.
      In addition, there is plenty of humor; irony, and social satire. How could it be otherwise? It's impossible to miss "I See You, See Me," Ginger Thompson's strong oil painting of a woman whose face is covered but whose breasts are bare; or "9/11," Sara Cordon's poignant floor sculpture of a dead female nude that is burnt and scarred.
      A delightful black and white photograph by Christine Luksza depicts seven pregnant women floating on their backs like so many "Lily Pads"; while the silver prints of Michelle Ricci-Koch capture butterfly orchids and two delicate bird's nests balanced on a branch - one with three eggs and the other with only one.