An illustrated discussion of COVET, a long term project exploring the direct relationship between contemporary artists and historic artworks found in museum collections, inspired by their conversations with curators about content, context, social history and patronage.

Molly Hatch (Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA), Jonathan Wahl (Sienna Gallery, Lenox, MA) and Ethan Lasser, curator, Chipstone Foundation and Milwaukee Art Museum.. Moderated by David McFadden, Chief Curator, Museum of Arts & Design, NY.

Artist Dan Dailey (Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA) discusses his sculpture—vibrant works in glass and metal that celebrate human nature. With training in nearly every glass technique as well as a proficiency in metalwork, Dailey’s expressive body of work is ever evolving but always characterized by wit, flair and consummate skill.

Rock - Linen - Lead

UK artist Sue Lawty (browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT) charts the journey of her understated and abstract works which are strongly influenced by a comprehensive engagement with remote landscape, geology and the passage of time. Seeking “an essential stillness,” Lawty’s constructed pieces and drawings in two and three dimensions explore repetition and interval in raffia, hemp, linen, lead, stone or shadow. 

Birthe Noergaard Fraser, Director, Cultural Connections CC, speaks about a vibrant new generation of Danish contemporary studio ceramicists who reinterpret and reinvent the ancient vessel. Demonstrating creative verve and technically advanced skills, their works stand up alongside those of their internationally acclaimed colleagues.

The Transcendent Jewelry of Margaret de Patta: Vision in Motion

Inspired by Bauhaus ideals and Constructivist design, Margaret de Patta revolutionized jewelry in the post-WW II era with sophisticated designs that exemplified the concept of ‘vision in motion’ championed by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy at the Chicago Bauhaus. Ursula Ilse-Neuman, Jewelry Curator, Museum of Arts & Design, NY. Co-sponsored by Art Jewelry Forum and the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

Prior to the lecture artist Farrah Al-Dujaili (Ornamentum, Hudson, NY), recipient of the Art Jewelry Forum’s 2012 Emerging Artist Award, will give a short talk about her work.

Haiku in Clay

Japanese artist Shozo Michikawa (Erskine, Hall & Coe, London) discusses his latest work; “pots...which have a contemporary feel, yet are somehow timeless; they have an almost impractically sculptural appearance, yet serve functional purposes; they reflect an urban aesthetic, but simultaneously look as if they have grown from nature.” Simon Martin, art historian, writer and curator

Artists Vivian Beer and Philipp Aduatz (Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia) discuss their work; functional objects that exist between the worlds of design, craft, and sculpture. Working with innovative new methods and materials as well as traditional techniques, they seek to challenge traditional labels that categorize furniture, art and design. Moderated by Lewis Wexler, owner, Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia.

COVET: Meet the Artists

Meet the Artist John McQueen

browngrotta arts, booth 208

Artist Susanne Klemm will discuss the influence of nature in her work and offer a view into the development of her unconventional techniques.

Gallery Loupe, booth 319

History and Inspiration: A Conversation

Writer Dominique Browning and ceramist Frances Palmer will discuss the COVET project and her artwork that references the Robert Ellison collection of ceramics in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dominique Browning is the author of the book Slow Love, blogs at Slow Love Life, and environmental activist and director of Moms Clean Air Force.

Ferrin Gallery, COVET booth 114

Dan Dailey signs Visions Realized The Work of Dan Dailey following his lecture titled 40 Years Already from 1-2 pm.

Schantz Galleries, booth 311

Artist Chuck Savoie will explain his process from making his own glass to creating sculptural forms using ancient Italian techniques.

Jane Sauer Gallery, booth 301

Barbro Åberg and Hans Vangsø

Meet the Artist Norma Minkowitz

browngrotta arts, booth 208

Juha Koskela: Signature Series

Finnish Studio jewelry Juha Koskela discusses the inspiration and technical challenges of his three series of work on display in his one-man show.  Two of the series Kuutamo and Fauni comprise the signature works for which he is known.  In the past year, Koskela has taken a leap of inspiration in his jewelry, creating highly three-dimensional works while also experimenting with mokume gane in a new and fresh way, the third series to be presented in the exhibition.

Aaron Faber Gallery, booth 312

Roots and Stitch – A Threaded History

Eleri Mills, one of Wales’ & the UK’s eminent textile artists and current visiting artist at Columbia University, will talk about her work, inspired by the landscape, myths and enduring history of Wales and it’s people.
 
Ruthin Craft Centre, booth 113

Designer Breakfast Preview

	SOFA NEW YORK Designer Breakfast

The 5th Annual SOFA NEW YORK Designer Breakfast takes place at 9:30 am on Friday, April 20. This much anticipated, invitation-only preview for designers and their clients (before the fair opens to the general public!) features a panel discussion titled The Design Continuum: Looking Back to the Future with David Ling (David Ling Architect), Jamie Drake (Drake Design Associates) and David McFadden (Chief Curator, Museum of Arts and Design). Moderated by MODERN Magazine, a Brant publication. Jack Lenor Larsen, , and Emily Zilber (Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) announce the winners of the 2nd Annual 2012 LongHouse Reserve Special Recognition prizes for Best Booth Display and Best Artwork in Show.

At last year’s Designer Breakfast, a capacity crowd of over 150 designers enjoyed the programming and early fair preview. Attendees included Edward Lobrano, Christophe Pourny, Dennis Rolland, Michele Safra, Tom Scheerer, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Bradley Stephens, Stephanie Stokes, Geoffrey Bradfield, Ronald Bricke, Russell Bush, Carl D'Aquino, Joanne DePalma and Marjorie Gordon.

	Philipp Aduatz Wexler Gallery

Back by popular demand! The 2nd annual evening event for new collectors and young designers, SOFA After Dark with the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Arts and Design, takes place at SOFA from 6-8 pm Friday, April 20. A one-night only, exclusive event for the young and chic of New York City to enjoy and engage with SOFA’s new mix of art and design in the company of international artists, stylish designers, and distinguished collectors and curators.

Arthur Hash Sienna Gallery

While sipping a complimentary handcrafted, limited edition WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey, Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear Wine, or a SOFA signature cocktail, you will have the opportunity to intimately chat with top-tier art dealers about the ins and outs of developing a collection and selecting artworks from both the emerging and established artists on view. 

Enjoy dynamic dialogues with artists in the SOFA Café where artist and engineer Arthur Hash of Sienna Gallery reveals how digital technology and his jewelry designs intertwine in his talk Crafting in a Digital Age 2.0 (6:30 pm) and artist Philipp Aduatz of Wexler Gallery discusses The Design Process as an Innovative Implement including how the laws of thermodynamics inspire a transient transformation in his design works (7 pm).

Join the conversation!  See if your favorites are among the top picks from selected museum curators who include Sarah Archer (Philadelphia Art Alliance), Nicholas Bell (Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.), Emily Zilber (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), and Elizabeth Kirrane, Jennifer Scanlan, and Ron Labaco (Museum of Arts and Design, NYC). Use #SOFAafterdark to share Twitter updates throughout the evening. Admission is by invitation or purchase of a $35 ticket at the door on Friday, April 20, that admits one to the show and SOFA After Dark festivities.

History and Inspiration: A Conversation

	LongHouse Reserve

Visit LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, NY on Saturday, April 21 -- before its season opens to the public! Be among the very first to preview LongHouse's major new exhibition Accumulations: NOW, featuring 500 works in craft media from the last 100 years, enjoy Its gorgeous Spring gardens full of newly installed sculpture, and a delicious box lunch.

LongHouse Reserve is home to acclaimed designer and collector, Jack Lenor Larsen, whose name is synonymous with 20th century textiles. World-known for its exquisite gardens and sculptures, Mr. Larsen created LongHouse Reserve to exemplify a creative approach to contemporary life. At noon and 2 pm, Mr. Larsen will personally lead SOFA tours of the grounds and LongHouse. Cost is $150 per person ($120 for LongHouse members), which includes transportation. A special bus will depart Park Avenue Armory at 9 am and return approximately 5 pm.
Click Here to Register. For further information, please call 631-329-3568.

Museum Monday

Museum Monday at SOFA NEW YORK!  On Monday, April 23 members of all levels from select museums will receive 2-for-1 admittance when they present their current membership card at the door. Don’t miss this great opportunity to bring your membership card and a friend (for free!) to explore the contemporary and modern masterworks offered at the fair! Select museums are:

Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
American Folk Art Museum
Arnot Art Museum
Asia Society
Berkshire Museum
Brooklyn Museum
Bruce Museum
China Institute
Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum
Corning Museum of Glass
Dia Foundation
Fuller Craft Museum
Guggenheim Museum & Guggenheim YCC
Hunterdon Museum of Art
The Jewish Museum
Katonah Museum of Art

WHARTON ESHERICK in LongHouse Collections

	LongHouse Reserve

LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY, exemplifies living with art in all its forms. Founded by and home of famed designer Jack Lenor Larsen, its collections, gardens, sculpture and programs reflect world cultures and inspire a creative life. View a prime example of its contemplative aesthetic in the recreation of Larsen’s own dining room at LongHouse, with pieces by renowned modernist furniture designer and wood sculptor Wharton Esherick (1887-1970), including a 1939 hickory and phenol fiber table exhibited at the 1940’s World’s Fair. Rare viewing of a panel of the iconic Sears Tower quilts that Larsen made for Sears Bank & Trust in Chicago, circa 1974-75. And delicate hand-folded, dipped and dyed Japanese Shoji screens.

	Joe Mangrum Fervant Craic, 2011 Approx. 16 x 16 ft. (4.8 x 4.8 m) Colored sand Courtesy of the artist

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) presents installation/performance art by Joe Mangrum, whose explorations of found objects, multiple media and materials have earned him international accolades, including a nomination for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art “SECA” award. Mangrum’s site-specific environmental and often ephemeral installations include organic materials such as flowers, food and sand, as well as deconstructed computer parts, auto-parts and a multitude of found and collected objects. At SOFA, Mangrum creates his signature mandalas, pyramids, maps, grids and even mushroom clouds in sand, challenging the viewer to confront the “gridlock” of urban society. Mangrum's work is part of the MAD's current exhibition through August 12, 2012 Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design.