KEY
SPONSORS SUPPPORT “SPECTACULAR”
SOFA CHICAGO 2005 OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW
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| Main
Aisle, SOFA CHICAGO 2005 Opening Night Preview. |
An
estimated 2800 artists, collectors, curators and arts cognoscenti
enjoyed a “first look” at SOFA CHICAGO 2005 at the
Opening Night Public Preview on Thursday, October 27.
By all accounts, the 12th Annual International Exposition
of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art opened with a tremendous
surge of expectation and enthusiasm. Brisk sales set the pace
for the whole weekend
“Opening
Night was spectacular,” said Terry Davidson of Leo
Kaplan Modern, New York, NY. “Best we’ve
ever had. We had people in the booth at 5:01 pm. It was amazing—a
very focused group of buyers.” Doug Heller of Heller
Gallery, New York, NY said, “The Opening was
a wonderful experience—it was also very good business.”
Steve Rosenzweig of John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
said, “The largest Opening of qualified buyers at any
art fair I’ve ever experienced.”
Mark
Lyman, Founder and Director of SOFA CHICAGO and SOFA NEW YORK,
said, “Key buyers mixed with a new generation of art lovers
and collectors at the Preview, and dealers reported excellent
sales. We are grateful to our major sponsors Chubb
and Collectify, and to Lasalle
Bank Wealth Management for their generous support in
making the Opening a phenomenal success. Many thanks also to
Barefoot Wine, our exclusive wine sponsor.”
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| Franklin
Silverstone (left) with principals of Collectify
and Chubb at Opening Night. |
Franklin
Silverstone of Collectify, the leader in industry-
standard collections management software said, “We were
delighted to sponsor SOFA CHICAGO 2005 Opening Night in partnership
with Chubb, one of the world’s preeminent insurers of
fine homes and possessions. Chubb and Collectify have
formed an alliance to provide collectors, curators, and family
office managers with efficient software for cataloguing and
insuring collections. We were very pleased with the many collectors
attending and their interest in our services to manage their
fine objects.”
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| SOFA
CHICAGO 2005 Lecture Series attendees. |
Chubb
and Collectify sponsorship also contributed to the
success of the SOFA CHICAGO 2005 Lecture Series,
which enjoyed a record number of 3100 persons attending 32 presentations;
as well as the International Reception on Friday,
October 28, in honor of the galleries exhibiting at SOFA CHICAGO
2005 from outside the United States.
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| Discriminating
collectors examining textile art by Jon Eric Riis at Thirteen
Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. |
Major
collector and museum groups attending SOFA CHICAGO included
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Art Jewelry Forum, Collectors
of Wood Art, Friends of Fiber Art International, James Renwick
Alliance of the Smithsonian Institution, Mint Museum of Craft
+ Design Founders’ Circle, Museum of Arts & Design
Inner Circle, Director’s Council & Collectors Circle,
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Museum of Design,
and Society of North American Goldsmiths.
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| Collectors
admiring Dale Chihuly glass sculpture at Holsten Galleries,
Stockbridge, MA. |
Jim
Schantz of Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA,
which once again mounted a gorgeous presentation of new glass
art by Lino Tagliapietra and Dale Chihuly,
said, “We had a spectacular Opening Night. SOFA is a destination
for many of our clients...and we sold work to new clients from
as far away as New Zealand.”
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| Opening
Night guests enjoy the charcoal on mylar drawing of Mary
Borgman at Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL. |
Mark
Lyman said, “We were also pleased that Northwestern
Memorial Foundation (NMF), with whom we’ve worked
for the past four years, again hosted a private fund-raising
function this year centered around the Opening Night Preview.”
Proceeds benefited the Arts Program at Northwestern Memorial
Hospital.
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| Enjoying
the artworks of Christopher Riis at Hawk Galleries, Columbus,
OH. |
Special
thanks also to River East Art Center, a collection
of fine galleries gathered in Chicago’s elegant River
East area for their support of the Art Shuttle that looped between
SOFA CHICAGO, River North gallery district, the Museum of Contemporary
Art (MCA) and River East Art Center. Mark Lyman said, “SOFA
has become part of the arts-filled life of Chicago and an annual
destination. We had a spectacular Opening Night and show.”
FIRST
CHOICE, FIRST LOOK:
SOFA CHICAGO 2005 OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, October 27
First Choice Preview: 5 –
7 pm, by invitation only.
Public Preview: 7 – 10 pm
Complimentary award-winning champagne and wine from
California’s Barefoot Cellars!
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Dan
Dailey (left) and Lino Tagliapietra at SOFA CHICAGO 2004. |
Join
artists, collectors, curators and cognoscenti for a “first
look” at SOFA CHICAGO 2005 at the Opening Night
Public Preview, 7-10 pm, Thursday, October 27! Discuss
their new artworks with over 500 + artists attending Opening
Night including Italian glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra
(Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA), world-renowned for his
“abstract arabesques in space” --colorful, bold
vessel forms embellished with delicate filigree; and Dan
Dailey (Leo Kaplan Modern, NY, NY and Wexler Gallery,
Philadelphia), famous for his pop palette pastiche of art deco
and classical Venetian glassblowing techniques.
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Patrick
Hall at SOFA CHICAGO 2003. |
Ever
ready to greet Opening Night attendees is the exuberant Patrick
Hall of Tasmania (Despard Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania),
furniture artist/bard whose marriage of industrial materials
and finishes with highly detailed doll and toy like sculptures
and original text, give his work a disarming innocence. And
Linda MacNeil (Leo Kaplan Modern, NY, NY),
acclaimed contemporary jewelry artist in whose deft hands rondelles
of glass and carved elements shimmer like elaborate stones in
fine metals. A special treat is the long-awaited return of Ivan
Mareš from the Czech Republic (Heller Gallery,
NY, NY), into whose organic-shaped molded and annealed glass
sculptures one peers as if something mysterious is hiding in
their dense transparency.
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Linda
MacNeil
Snowflake Necklace
Waterford Crystal, Clear.
Waterford Wheel Cut Detail,
Acid Polished; 18K Yellow Gold.
With Earrings
Diameter: 6½" |
Ivan Mares
On Edge,
2005
Cast glass
20.5 x 43.75 x 8.75 |
Be
among the elite to first view and acquire top quality pieces
at SOFA CHICAGO. Key collector and museum groups attending Opening
Night include Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Art Jewelry
Forum, Collectors of Wood Art, Friends of Fiber Art International,
James Renwick Alliance of the Smithsonian Institution, Mint
Museum of Craft + Design Founders’ Circle, Museum of Arts
& Design Inner Circle, Director’s Council & Collectors
Circle, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Museum of
Design, and Society of North American Goldsmiths.
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Mark
Lyman, President and Founder of SOFA CHICAGO and its
sister show, SOFA NEW YORK, said, “Last year was the first
year that SOFA itself organized the Opening Night party. We
were unsure what to expect—and we were absolutely delighted
with the turn-out for the Preview with over 2000 persons attending.
At an affordable ticket price, a new generation of art lovers
and collectors mixed with key buyers, and dealers reported solid
sales to both established and new clients.”
Select
collectors and press are again expected to attend the invitation-only
“First Choice” Preview from 5 – 7 pm, which
also offers non-profits like Northwestern Memorial Foundation
the opportunity to host private fundraising events in conjunction
with the Opening.
Tickets
for the Opening Night Public Preview, 7-10 pm, Thursday, Oct.
27 are $50.00 and may be purchased at the door.
