SOFA CHICAGO 2007, the 14th annual international exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art, returns to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, Nov. 2–4 to present masterworks bridging design and fine art from 100 international galleries and dealers and 18 countries.

Emma Camden Passage, 2007 Cast Glass Chappell Gallery

SOFA CHICAGO’s Lecture Series features internationally renowned curators, scholars and artists in 31 presentations, and is widely considered the largest and most distinctive forum at an art fair dedicated to exploring both the works on display and worldwide trends in today’s art scene. Seven special exhibits from around the world are also complimentary with SOFA admission.

Lecture Series presentations of special interest to the glass cognoscenti include A Maker’s View of New Zealand Glass, featuring artist Emma Camden, who takes a personal look at New Zealand studio glass, posing the question, “Are we different or just isolated?”

Dale Chihuly Divine Blue Black Macchia with Marigold Lip Wrap, 2007 Blown glass Photo: Scott M. Leen Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA

Italian glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra talks about his life and art, with gallery owner Kenn Holsten in the lecture A Conversation with Lino.  Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA will also mount a major presentation of new work by Tagliapietra as well as presenting exuberant new black glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, who leads the way for a bevy of artists on the international axis creating noir vessel forms.  Jim Schantz of Holsten Galleries said, “These are among Chihuly's newest works that include the use of black as a dominant color to reinvestigate his classic Basket, Cylinder and Venetian forms. Many incorporate the use of bright colors which are set off by the black, creating a dramatic effect. Chihuly will be creating a Black Chandelier specifically for the space at SOFA CHICAGO 2007.” 

Dante Marioni Red and Blue Leaf Vases Blown glass Represented by Marx-Saunders Gallery

Other artists represented at SOFA CHICAGO and working in black glass include Paul Stankard and Dante Marioni at Marx-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, as well as Danes Tobias Mohl and Lene Bødker, the latter recently winning the coveted Japanese prize, the “Kanazawa Glass Award,” at Galleri Gronlund, Copenhagen.  Both Mohl and Bødker will attend SOFA CHICAGO.

Also of special note: Heller Gallery, New York will present a major presentation of mystical sand cast glass sculptures by Swedish master Bertil Vallien, including new architectural works.  Leo Kaplan Modern, NY joins forces with Galerie Vee of Hong Kong to present cutting edge glass from the big apple to the Singapore. 

DAN DAILEY By Milton Glaser, William Warmus, Tina Oldknow

Leo Kaplan will present new work by Dan Dailey, whose vibrant, humorous pieces draw upon his background in cartooning and training in nearly every glass technique, as well as a proficiency in metalwork. Dailey is the subject of a new book published by Harry N. Abrams, with 400 full color illustrations and a foreword by Milton Glaser, essay by William Warmus and interview with Dailey by Tina Oldknow.

Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora Mace Represented by Elliott Brown Gallery

Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, WA presents Green Matters, a group invitational exhibition at SOFA CHICAGO, bringing together a dozen artists to explore matters green through found objects, sticks, recycled materials, paint, glass, and “those sundry resurrected cast-offs of our post-modern lives,” said Elliott. Glass artists Hank Murta Adams, Katherine Gray, Richard Marquis, Toots Zynsky, and the team of Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace will participate. 

Dale Chihuly The Flame of Liberty glass, The Liberty Museum

Top museum collections in glass are profiled in the Lecture Series. In Through the Looking Glass: A Collection in Flux, founder/chairman Irwin Borowsky of The Liberty Museum in Philadelphia discussed its collection. The Liberty Museum is this year’s recipient of Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass’ annual award to a program or institution that has significantly furthered the studio-glass movement.Presented by Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass. 

In Pilchuck Glass School: Breaking the Mold, Ruth King, Artistic Director, Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, WA discusses how the School moves beyond the expected as Pilchuck’s artists, instructors, and students embrace experimentation and continually challenge the perceived physical and conceptual boundaries of glass.

The Corning Museum of Glass Hotglass Roadshow at SOFA CHICAGO.

And last but not least!  The Hot Glass Roadshow of the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY returns to SOFA CHICAGO for live presentations on the artistry of hot glass blowing, featuring top glass artists represented by SOFA galleries and dealers.