Sergei Isupov, Spring Chicken, ceramic.
	Reddish, Naama Steinbock and Idan Friedman, Yakuza, 2006, wood.
	John McQueen, Pedestrian, 1998, sticks and bundle ties.
	Ron Nagle, The Bad Clown, porcelain and glaze.
	Schedule of Events November 9 Opening Night Preview November 10 – 12 SOFA Chicago Festival Hall, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 800.563.7632; www.sofaexpo.com Friday 11 am – 8 pm Saturday 11 am – 8 pm Sunday Noon – 6 pm

SOFA Chicago 2006
An exposition featuring gallery presentations, special shows, events
and lectures, and the opportunity to own a masterpiece or two.

More than 90 international galleries and dealers will congregate at Chicago's Navy Pier on November 10 – 12 to exhibit one-of-a-kind, three-dimensional, decorative and fine art masterworks during The Thirteenth Annual International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art: SOFA Chicago 2006.

SOFA Chicago 2006 will include presentations by Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA. Celebrating its ten-year relationship with ceramic sculptor Sergei Isupov, the gallery will feature a new body of work alongside selections from private collections. In addition to Sergei Isupov 1996 - 2006, Ferrin will show individual works by the community of artists whose careers have paralleled his and who have been his colleagues, students and friends. According to Leslie Ferrin, Isupov's work is recognized as one of the most important and influential in the field of ceramic sculpture during this decade.

Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA, will feature Italian glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra in a solo exhibition at SOFA Chicago for the third consecutive year. Jim Schantz of Holsten says, “2006 will mark Lino's 60th year working in glass. Our feature exhibition at SOFA will be one of our most comprehensive representations of Tagliapietra's work … including Fenice, Mandara and Saba series.”

Gallery Drud & Køppe, Copenhagen, Denmark, will represent acclaimed Danish furniture artist Cecilie Manz, winner of numerous European awards, including Forum +1 award/Caravaggio P4, 2006, and the Danish Design Prize 2004. Manz is the daughter of renowned ceramist Bodil Manz, and her work is represented in many European museums as well as MoMA, NYC. Bettina Køppe hopes to bring some Trapped Cylinders, collaborations between Cecilie and Bodil.

Thirty Lecture Series presentations, complimentary with admission to SOFA Chicago, are planned. Anne Meszko, director of educational programming for SOFA, says this year's programming will provide “an entertaining forum for visitors to seek out a broader understanding of SOFA artists and their artworks, and the wide range of theory and techniques behind them.” Collector groups and arts organizations attending Chicago 2006 and planning lectures include Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Art Jewelry Forum, Collectors of Wood Art, Society of North American Goldsmiths and World Ceramic Exposition Foundation of Korea. Friends of Fiber Art International is planning special lectures and events at SOFA Chicago in conjunction with its 15th Anniversary exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center: Material Difference: Soft Sculpture and Wall Works, on view from November 4 – January 7, 2007.

Leading the way again for Special Exhibits is the fourth Association for Israel's Decorative Arts (AIDA), a curated exhibit of contemporary decorative artwork by artists currently living in Israel. Conceived and developed in 2003 by the late Andrea Bronfman, AIDA has fostered the careers of a total of 21 AIDA exhibiting artists, who, as a result of their exposure at SOFA Chicago, have acquired U.S. gallery representation.

Finally, principal among Special Events at SOFA Chicago 2006 is the return of the Hot Glass Roadshow of The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. The world's premier mobile glassblowing studio and SOFA Chicago will team up for the fifth straight year to present internationally renowned glass artists creating signature vessels and sculpture from molten glass.

Photo credits
From top: Stockbridge, MA; Courtesy of Reddish; Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA; Courtesy of Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL; Courtesy of Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco, CA,