SOFA New York 2008

The annual international Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fairs in New York and Chicago, better known as SOFA, are the world’s foremost art fairs showcasing exceptional masterworks in ceramics, glass, metal, wood and fiber. Founded in 1994 by director Mark Lyman, SOFA NEW YORK 2008, May 29 – June 1 at the prestigious Park Avenue Armory presents its 11th edition this year; SOFA CHICAGO held annually at Navy Pier, marks its 15th anniversary on November 7 – 9, 2008.
 


Administrative address:
11th Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair: SOFA NEW YORK 2008
4401 N. Ravenswood, Suite 301
Chicago, IL 60640
773.506.8860
info@sofaexpo.com

 

Dates and price

Opening Night Gala Preview:
Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. 
Tickets: $100.00 online now. 


General Fair Admission:
May 29 – June 1, 2008

Thursday & Friday, May 29 – 30 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 31 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 1 noon – 6 p.m.


FAIR TICKETS: available now online or at the door.
One day admission $25
Four day admission $40

Full color catalogs are included with admission; or available online for $20 after the show on www.sofaexpo.com
 

Activities

Lectures and other special events such as booth talks and book signings are included with admission and take place in the Tiffany Room at the Armory. 


Thursday, May 29 

10 – 11 a.m.
Jewelry by Artists: The Daphne Farago Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Jewelry Forum presents Kelly L’Ecuyer, Ellyn McColgan Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of the Americas, in a survey of the Daphne Farago Collection of studio jewelry with accompanying discussion of its historic and artistic significance. 

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Weaving Tapestries into Buildings
Helena Hernmarck, whose tapestries are derived from the local environment and encapsulate the great outdoors on a monumental scale and are exhibited and collected internationally, is represented by browngrotta arts, CT, USA. 

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
People of Clay
Akio Takamori talks about his figurative clay sculpture from 1996 to the present, revisiting projects, exhibitions, and inspirations. His work is in the Carnegie Institute Art Museum (USA), The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art (Japan), and many more. He is represented by Barry Friedman Ltd., NY, USA. 

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
‘anima’…animations, syntheses and mimicries
Adam Paxon discusses color and form of his recent acrylic pieces, journeying through the surface into the interior of the material of dreams. Paxon is a multiple award winning jeweler whose works are held in the collections of the Middelsbrough Institute for Modern Art in London, the International Museum of Applied Arts in Italy, and many more. He is represented by Clare Beck at Adrian Sassoon (UK). 

3 – 4 p.m.
Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary
Preview the Museum of Arts & Design’s inaugural show at their new museum: works and installations by 40 established and emerging artists from five continents, created from everyday manufactured objects originally made for another functional purpose. The exhibition will illuminate issues of materials and process, global consumerism, cultural and personal identity, and current value systems. David Revere McFadden, Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts & Design, New York. 

4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Karen Pontoppidan: Why I Do What I Do
The artist will discuss how she seeks to connect small moments of everyday life to the immortality of metal. Pontoppidan trained at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. She is currently a professor at Ädellab (metal department) KONSTFACK in Stockholm, Sweden, and is represented at SOFA by Jewelers’ Werk. Presented by the Society for North American Goldsmiths. 


> Conversations – In-Booth Talks at SOFA by artists and gallerists 



Friday, May 30 

2:00
Hanne Behrens
Behrens will discuss her process of weaving jewelry and the influence the Maori culture of New Zealand has had on her work.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411

Anne Currier – The XYZ of It: Size, Scale and Sculpture in the Domestic Environment
Ceramist Anne Currier elaborates on the new meaning given to her sculpture, once placed within the domestic environment.
Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA, Booth 107

Characteristics of Japanese Art
The defining characteristics of Japanese art will be shown in examples of art work and by explaining Japanese cultural background.
Sachiko Tsuchiya, Art Miya, Tokyo & New York, Booth 114

About My Diary
Lea Dolinsky, artist,
Maria Elena Kravetz, Cordoba, Argentina, Booth 402

Sydney Lynch Jewelry: A Confluence of Texture, Color, and Metal
Artist Sydney Lynch provides an overview of the inspiration and techniques involved in her jewelry designs, incorporating texture, bold color and geometry.
Aaron Faber Gallery, New York, Booth 104

Wood: Redefining Abstract Figurative Sculpture
Sculptor Joël Urruty discusses his unconventional use of wood and the underlying themes of his hand-carved abstract figurative sculpture.
Andora Gallery, Chicago, Booth 215

2D + 3D: The Relationship between Sculptural and Two Dimensional Works – on Paper, Tile and Digital Media. Artists Christine Antemann, Cynthia Consentino, Debra Fritts, Emmett Leader
Ferrin Gallery, Booth 300

The New-Old Art of Zogan Metal Inlay
Mamoru Nakagawa, a living national treasure of Japan, describes the renaissance of a traditional craft.
Onishi Gallery, NY, Booth 124

Kazumi Nagano: My Objective of Making Jewelry
Nagano's main objective in making jewelry is for people to feel calmness and beauty through the motifs of snow, flowers, and the moon. She will talk about Japanese influences on her work, her materials, and her background in Japanese style painting.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411

Yuka Saito: Space Beyond Space
Saito will speak about her process and inspiration for the jewelry she creates using polypropylene and heat to form organic vibrantly colored shapes.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411 



Saturday, May 31

Elizabeth Goluch: The Insect Revealed
Goluch will explain the background information and research that go into the making of each insect (i.e. the name, habitat, life and mythology that inform the significance of the details of each sculpture.) The talk will include a demonstration of the way the insect moves and opens. She will point out the details on the insect and reasons for her choices.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411

Tod Pardon: Color, Metal, Jewelry and Sculpture
An overview by artist Tod Pardon of the importance of color in his approach to metal art and studio jewelry.
Aaron Faber Gallery, New York, Booth 104

Cristina Dias
Dias will share her process, inspirations, and concepts in creating her vibrant and organic pieces of jewelry.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411

Painting with Glass
Australian artist Noel Hart will discuss his unique and innovative methods for painting with glass.
Jane Sauer Gallery, Santa Fe, Booth 109

2:30 pm
Dorothy Feibleman
Feibleman will speak about the process and inspirations of her ceramic vessels using selected images of her work.
Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge MA, Booth 411

Light and Colour
Alison Kinnaird MBE, artist, talks about her work and her commission for the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, WA.
Zest Contemporary Glass Gallery, London, Booth 403

Rediscovering the Soul of Momoyama Bizen
Artist Anjin Abe upturns the conventional wisdom of the history of Bizen ware.
Onishi Gallery, NY, Booth 124 



Sunday, June 1

Art as Jewelry, Jewelry as Art
Artist Tomoyo Hiraiwa describes how a sojurn in New York transformed her work.
Onishi Gallery, NY, Booth 124