From November 6 – 9, 2009, Navy Pier will host the 16^th annual Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair (SOFA).  More than 65 exhibitions from ten different countries will fill Navy Pier’s Festival Hall with objects and creations from established and emerging artists from the world of craft and design.  The three-day celebration of fine and decorative arts will feature throngs of dealer booths and gallery displays.  Thirty-three different lectures present topics on Fiber Art, emerging artists of 2009, studio glass, and the impact of scholarships.  Five special exhibitions focus on the breakthrough ideas of global glass, the jewelers of Israel, legendary artists and a tribute to the late Sam Marloof, a leader in the West Coast Modern Arts Movement.

New to the fair this is SOLO at SOFA, specialized exhibition spaces for galleries to highlight new and innovative work from their artists.  On view are  Klaus Moje from Bullseye Gallery in Portland, Oregon and Lauren Kalman and Arthur Hash cutting edge jewelers of Sienna Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Tickets to the Fair are $15 per day or $25 for all three days.  Hours of operation are 11 am – 8 pm on Friday and Saturday and Noon – 6 pm on Sunday.  Opening night tickets are available to the public.  For more information, please visit SOFA's website, www.sofaexpo.com.

--Robyn Farrell Roulo

(above image: Lauren Kalman, Lip Adornment, 2008, laminated inkjet print, 30 x 40, image courtesy of the artist and Sienna Gallery)