SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2011 and New! Spotlight Presentation
of The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art

A Partnership with Chicago’s
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

SANTA FE, NM. Mark Lyman, Founder/Director of SOFA and President, The Art Fair Company announced an exciting addition to SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2011. Lyman says, “After a successful inaugural partnership of SOFA and Chicago’s respected Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art at SOFA CHICAGO 2010, we are delighted to work together to produce a ‘spotlight presentation’ of The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, which will run alongside SOFA WEST. The Intuit presentation will add leading dealers and galleries of self-taught art, outsider art, art brut, ethnographic art, non-traditional folk art and visionary art to the mix. The Art Fair Company has always been about bridging different segments of the market, and the Intuit presentation will complement and further broaden the range on offer. It promises to offer the Santa Fe community a body of artwork rich in personal history and vision as well as material and process.” Galleries participating to date include Russell Bowman Art Advisory (Chicago); Galerie Bonheur (St. Louis, MO); Garde Rail Gallery (Austin, TX); Packer Schopf Gallery, (Chicago); The Ames Gallery (Berkeley, CA); Judy A Saslow Gallery (Chicago); and Yard Dog Art Gallery (Austin, TX). (See Intuit Dealer Presentations release)

	Mark Lyman and Cleo Wilson at SOFA CHICAGO 2010

The non-profit Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art was founded in 1991 by a group of Chicago artists, gallery owners, art collectors, business people, and arts patrons. The Center’s mission “is to promote public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of intuitive and outsider art through a program of education and exhibition.” The Center has grown steadily, boasting more than 600 members from the US and abroad. The organization’s record presenting cutting-edge exhibitions and unique educational programs has led to its international reputation as a leader in the field of outsider art. The Center also publishes The Outsider Magazine, providing in-depth coverage of Intuit’s exhibits, programs and special events as well as other important discoveries in outsider art. Published two times per year, The Outsider has a worldwide readership of over 6,000. The Intuit Center produced its first folk and outsider art fair in Chicago in 1997.

Intuit Executive Director Cleo Wilson says, “We are thrilled to partner with (President) Mark Lyman and The Art Fair Company (TAFC) for a spotlight presentation of The Intuit Show at SOFA WEST. Mark has been a friend of Intuit for many years. SOFA art fairs place self-taught and outsider art before new audiences. Equally important is that the collaboration with TAFC offers us a chance to grow.” Wilson continues, “Feedback I received from the 16 dealers who participated in SOFA CHICAGO’s Intuit Show was overwhelmingly positive. Sales were strong, with many items purchased in the $60,000 range. SOFA CHICAGO provided a momentum to The Intuit Show that helped pique the interest of new buyers, who may not have previously been familiar with outsider art.“
“Santa Fe is a destination for art lovers and collectors from all over the world,” Wilson concludes. “We are delighted to be part of SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2011.”

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SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2011 and spotlight presentation of The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art take place at the Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 W Marcy Street, Santa Fe, NM as follows: Opening Night, Wednesday, August 3 begins with FIRST LOOK Preview, an invitation-only event for Museum of New Mexico Foundation supporters from 5-6:30 pm. SOFA WEST VIP Cardholders may enter at 6:30 pm. Opening Night Public Preview begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $50 and will be available on sofaexpo.com or at the door beginning at 5 pm. Opening Night continues until 9 pm. General admission fair hours are Thursday, August 4 - Sunday, August 7 from 12 noon-6 pm. Tickets are $15 for single day general admission and $25 for a four-day pass. Catalogs may be purchased for $15 at the exposition.
High-resolution images and press releases are available for immediate download at sofaexpo.com/sfpress.