SOFA CHICAGO 2004
INTERNATIONAL ARTS, UNIVERSAL AESTHETICS
November 5 – 7, Festival Hall, Navy Pier
First Choice & Public Preview: Thursday, November 4

New art forms never before seen and rich artisan traditions come together in a synergistic explosion of creativity at SOFA CHICAGO. A sense of discovery and surprise always permeates this show, one of the most anticipated cultural events in this city. – Chicago Tribune, October 12, 2003

SOFA CHICAGO 2003

CHICAGO, AUGUST 2, 2004. Functionalism, post-modernism and the avant-garde come together at the Eleventh Annual International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art: SOFA CHICAGO 2004, November 5 - 7 at historic Navy Pier. 90 international galleries and dealers present a wide range of cultural expressions, materials and perceptions of art—from the tribal to the contemporary, from such diverse countries as Japan, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, Israeli, Argentina and Australia—similar aesthetics from completely different worlds, side by side, in an affirming contradiction.

SOFA CHICAGO 2003 with Tai Gallery/Textile Arts, Santa Fe, NM

To-date 32 international galleries from 10 countries are exhibiting, including 5 from Denmark with its strong Scandinavian design aesthetic; 2 from Italy with its ancient Muranese glass traditions; 9 from the United Kingdom, where the Arts and Craft Movement originated and studio ceramics was born in the West; 5 from France with its rich history of ornament; and 6 from Australia, with its vibrantly diverse culture and landscape.

(Left to right) Richard Hunt, Ruth Duckworth and Lino Tagliapietra with their artwork at SOFA CHICAGO 2003 Opening Night.

The SOFA CHICAGO 2004 Opening Night Preview, Thursday, November 4, has undergone a creative re-visioning! Following the lead of key art fairs around the world to open their previews first to important collectors, and later to a broader public, this year there will be two entrance times: First Choice Preview from 5 - 7 pm, by gallery invitation only; and Public Preview from 7 – 10 pm, open to the general public. Tickets for the Public Preview will be available from SOFA in advance or at the door for $25.00. Opening Night offers the arts aficionado and collector the opportunity to be the first to view and acquire top quality pieces offered at SOFA. Over 200 artists represented by SOFA CHICAGO galleries and Special Exhibits attend the Preview. (See Opening Night Preview story.)

Exhibiting Israeli artists in front of AIDA Special Exhibit at SOFA CHICAGO 2003.

34 Lecture Series presentations and 5 Special Exhibits at SOFA CHICAGO are being organized in collaboration with key world arts organizations, including British Crafts Council; Danish Crafts and The Danish Trade Council; Visual Arts and Crafts Board (VACB) of the Australia Council; and Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts (AIDA), in cooperation with Eretz Israel Museum. Lecture Series and Special Exhibits at SOFA CHICAGO are free with SOFA admission. Over 3000 persons attended the SOFA CHICAGO 2003 Lecture Series. (See Lecture Series and Special Exhibits story.)

Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass Roadshow at SOFA CHICAGO 2003

The Hot Glass Roadshow of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY returns to SOFA CHICAGO! The world’s premier mobile glassblowing studio and SOFA CHICAGO will team up for the third straight year to present internationally renowned glass artists creating signature vessels and sculpture from molten glass. Some of the world’s finest glass artists represented by SOFA CHICAGO 2004 galleries will participate along with master glassblowers from The Corning Museum.

Artist at work in woodturning studio

Collectors of Wood Art present a new Special Event at SOFA CHICAGO 2004—live sculptural and turned wood presentations by renowned artists represented by SOFA CHICAGO galleries and dealers, featuring lathe work, carving, piercing and sanding. A large-format projection screen will provide close-ups. Organized by Chicago Woodturners, a local chapter of the American Association of Woodturning, under the direction of Binh Pho.

SOFA CHICAGO is the brand leader in arts expositions presenting galleries bridging the decorative and fine arts, with estimated total sales averaging 15 million dollars per show. An average of 30,000 visitors attend annually, including national collector groups, major museum curators and membership groups, many of which hold annual meetings, award ceremonies and conferences on-site.

90 SOFA CHICAGO 2004 galleries and dealers from Argentina, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States will present artworks from the historic to the most contemporary, celebrating both traditional and new materials, and the universal aesthetics that transform them into expressive objects.