SOFA, so good t h e s c ulptura l objec ts a nd f unct ional a r t show he ads we st f or t he t hir d ye a r by Amy He ga r ty
PABLO MASON
Two of last year’s SOFA WEST attendees appreciate the show’s functionality.
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS of its first two years of laying down roots in New Mexico, SOFA WEST returns to the Santa Fe Convention Center for a third time this August, displaying topnotch works from the design, decorative, and fine arts worlds just as the City Different’s summer high season swings into full gear. Building on the momentum created by SOFA Chicago (founded in 1994) and SOFA New York (founded in 1998), SOFA WEST, the third branch of the international exhibition of sculpture objects and functional art, was launched to great acclaim in June 2009, playing host to approximately 10,000 guests. The following year, attendance grew to 12,000, and this year organizers are expecting an even greater turnout, thanks to the positive reception (and strong sales) the fair has generated from its wide-reaching audience. One of the most notable, and valued, differences between SOFA WEST and the SOFAs in Chicago and New York is that the Santa Fe event “is a smaller, more intimate fair with dealers
art
SHOW
who are very open to talking about the art they represent,” says Mark Lyman, SOFA’s founding director. But just because the forces may be smaller here doesn’t mean that quality is any less than what you would find elsewhere. “SOFA, in general, has a reputation for being a very high-end art fair, and the dealers who attend it know that they will have to meet the highest standards of excellence in order to be noticed,” says Jane Sauer, owner of Jane Sauer Gallery on Canyon Road and a participant in SOFA WEST from the beginning. Given the strength of Santa Fe’s reputation as a thriving arts community—as well as all the area has to offer in terms of dining and lodging options and, of course, natural beauty—SOFA is able to lure art lovers and dealers from well beyond the city limits. “The work shown at SOFA WEST represents the finest of many cultures,” says Lyman. “The galleries that display here come from around the country and around the world.” Indeed, this year’s exhibitors range from the Bullseye Gallery in Portland, Oregon, and the Darrell Bell Gallery in Saskatoon, Canada, to the Flow Gallery in London, England, and the Maria Elena Kravetz Gallery in Cordoba, Argentina. Kate Elliott, of Elliott Arts West (and who helmed the Elliott Brown Gallery in Seattle for 17 years), says that her experience exhibiting at SOFA WEST in 2009 affected her life both personally and professionally. “At the first SOFA WEST I observed an audience that was engaging and inspired,” she says. “I also found New Mexico to be so abundant with art, artists, and enthusiasts that I’ve since relocated here. At this year’s event I’ll be representing artists from Tesuque, Seattle, New York, and Venice.” SOFA’s five-day-long festivities kick off at the convention center with an Opening Night Preview for VIP cardholders on August 3. (The VIP program also includes a trip to the Pueblo of Acoma, tours of private collections and artists’ studios, and participation in curator-led discussions.) General admission begins the following day and runs through Sunday. A twist on the proceedings this year is that alongside SOFA WEST will be the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, which first partnered with SOFA Chicago in 2010. A general admission ticket provides access to both fairs, as well as entry to their lecture series and events. The inclusion of folk and outsider art fits with SOFA WEST’s goal of what the organization describes as “bridging different segments of the market”—from formally trained to self-taught artists, and from “traditional to highly interpretive” works, adds Lyman. In addition to the quality of products on view, this diversity—of styles, mediums, and histories—is a key factor in luring international audiences to SOFA. “Even though I have a gallery less than a mile from the convention center, I want to be a partner in this gem of an art fair,” says Sauer. “For the exhibitor, collector, and casual fairgoer, SOFA WEST guarantees the experience will be a rich one.” june/july 2011
santa fean
89