Plan now to join artists, collectors, curators and cognoscenti at the festive Opening Night Mise en scène, Thursday, November 1-truly a party with a view. Be among the first to enjoy and acquire top quality pieces at the Public Preview from 7-10 pm.

This acclaimed art fair also features a Lecture Series of renowned artists, critics and museum curators in 31 presentations, along with seven special exhibits including Offering Reconciliation, an emotionally moving exhibition of 135 works of art by prominent Palestinian and Israeli painters, sculptors and photographers on the theme of reconciliation, direct from its exhibition at the World Bank and United Nations; and Contemporary Furniture at Crab Tree Farm showcasing cutting-edge furniture made at the working farm on the shores of Lake Michigan owned by Chicago art collector and philanthropist John H. Bryan. Featured will be the work of renowned UK designer John Makepeace, who will attend SOFA CHICAGO, and Mike Jarvi and Critz Campbell, both of whom studied under Makepeace. John H. Bryan is a past chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Art Institute of Chicago and the Chairman of Millennium Park, Inc.

Exceptional gallery presentations include the first substantial showing of ceramics by Ian Godfrey in the USA at the stand of Galerie Besson, London. Godfrey, a seminal figure in British ceramics defined by his off-beat nonconformity, helped consolidate an increasingly sculptural and expressive approach to clay in the 1960’s. Seminal potter, Lucie Rie, Godfrey’s friend and mentor, called his complex and enigmatic works “happily impossible to imitate.” Galerie Besson also presents work by modernists Rie and Hans Coper as well as abstract ceramic sculpture exploring form, space and the intersection of architecture by Sir Anthony Caro, considered one of the world’s most influential contemporary sculptors.

Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA presents 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.” Holsten will also mount a major presentation of new work by Venetian glass master Lino Tagliapietra, who will speak in the Lecture Series.

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.  Speakers include: Janet Koplos, senior editor, Art in America; Audrey Whitty, curator, National Museum of Ireland; Jane Milosch, curator, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Julie Muniz, curatorial research associate, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Dorit Straus, National Fine Arts Specialist, Chubb Insurance; Heather Becker, CEO, Chicago Conservation Center and artists Lino Tagliapietra, Gerd Rothmann, Christina Cordova, Tod Pardon, Bernd Munsteiner, Liam Flynn and many others.

Seven special exhibits from around the world include Offering Reconciliation, presenting artworks by 135 prominent Palestinian and Israeli painters, sculptors, photographers and poets. Each artist began with the same blank ceramic vessel form as a canvas on which to express his/her interpretation of reconciliation and hopes for peace in the region. Utilizing many media, contributors include Israeli furniture designer Ron Arad, Israeli photographer and video artist Michal Rovner and photographer Aliza Olmert, wife of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Offering Reconciliation is a powerful socio-political statement as well as artistic achievement.

Offering Reconciliation is presented by the Parents Circle—Families Forum (PCFF), a grassroots organization of several hundreds of bereaved families, half Palestinian and half Israeli, who have all lost immediate family members due to the violence in the region. As a finale to the exhibition’s international tour that included the World Bank and United Nations, SOFA will host a live auction of 15 of the artworks on November 2, with pre-bidding online for all 135 beginning in September; all proceeds will support PCFF programs in Israeli and Palestinian communities.

Offering Reconciliation is co-presented by the Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts (AIDA), which will for the 5th straight year mount a curated exhibit entitled Memories and Perception at SOFA of contemporary decorative artwork by artists currently living in Israel.

Also noteworthy is a special film screening at the fair of Encounter Point (2006), the award-winning documentary about an Israeli settler, a convicted Palestinian fighter, a bereaved Israeli mother, and a bereaved Palestinian bother who overcome anger and grief to press for a grassroots movement for nonviolence and peace.  Encounter Point, directed by Ronit Avni and co-directed by Julia Bacha is presented in conjunction with the Offering Reconciliation special exhibit and features Robi Damelin (Israel) and Ali Abu Awwad (Palestine), who will attend SOFA to discuss the exhibit and answer questions after each film screening, as well as make a presentation in the Lecture Series.

The special exhibit Contemporary Furniture at Crab Tree Farm features furniture created at Chicago philanthropist's John H. Bryan's working farm in Lake Bluff, IL. Presented are works by renowned British designer John Makepeace, who will attend SOFA CHICAGO, and two of his former students, Mike Jarvi and Critz Campbell. Makepeace is one of the most celebrated contemporary British furniture designers, whose commissioned work is showcased in dozens of permanent collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Art Institute of Chicago.  Mike Jarvi's refinement of curving surfaces and Critz Campbell's experimentation with new materials reflect Makepeace's dual emphasis on expressive ends and technical mastery.

Visit www.sofaexpo.com often for an unfolding schedule of exciting special exhibits, lecture series and gallery presentations.