SOFA WEST: SANTA FE - July 8-11, 2010

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The World's Foremost Fairs of Contemporary Decorative Arts & Design

SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2010 Joins Santa Fe's High Summer Season

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Announcing the Second Annual SOFA WEST: SANTA FE
NEW DATES! July 8 - 11, 2010
Opening Night Preview, Wednesday, July 7:
A Special Member Preview for Museum of New Mexico Foundation


	Crowds packed the aisles during the Opening Night Preview of SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009

CHICAGO. Mark Lyman, Founder/Director of SOFA and President of The Art Fair Company, producer of the SOFA Fairs in Chicago, New York and Santa Fe, announced that the second annual SOFA WEST will move from its former June dates to July 8-11, 2010 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Lyman says, “These new dates will better position SOFA WEST in the international art fair calendar. And we are very excited to be joining Santa’s Fe high summer season of art.”

Lyman continues, “We are delighted to partner on this year’s Opening Night with the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, which will invite its upper-level donors to an early Special Member Preview, offering them first opportunity to purchase.” Read more> Over 2,000 guests attended SOFA WEST’s inaugural Opening Night last year, with an estimated 10,000 visitors attending the fair during its four day run, exceeding Lyman’s projections by over 50%—“We had to expand our ticket sales areas to handle the volume! In short, we were blown away by the incredible response.”


Strong offerings at SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009 brought collectors and arts interested public from all over the country for the inaugural Fair.

Lyman was especially gratified by the Santa Fe New Mexican’s mid-Fair editorial which stated in part: “That Santa Fe was ready to provide a foothold out West for SOFA to grow its following and its patron list is a testament to our city's art reputation and its ability to draw visitors from all over the world.”

“We at SOFA take pride in being part of the communities in which we hold our fairs. Accordingly, we look forward to working closely again in 2010 with the Mayors Office, Santa Fe Visitors and Convention Bureau, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe Opera, and Santa Fe Gallery Association. We will build upon this solid base by coordinating with Santa Fe’s Folk Art Market, happening the same weekend as SOFA WEST 2010. In addition, many SOFA collectors have expressed keen interest in learning more about the extraordinary cultural and artistic heritage of Santa Fe and its surrounding Native American Pueblos. A pre-fair ceramics symposium is planned beginning July 6 – 8, on collecting contemporary Southwest Native Pottery.

Lyman believes that SOFA WEST will compliment and augment Santa Fe’s exceptional art offerings in July, attracting even more national and international art lovers and collectors to the city.

The Museum of New Mexico Foundation to Host
Special Member Preview on Opening Night of
2nd Annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair:
SOFA WEST 2010 At Santa Fe Convention Center


	Crowds packed the aisles during the Opening Night Preview of SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009

Chicago. Mark Lyman, President, The Art Fair Company, announced an expansion of The Museum of New Mexico Foundation's participation in the Opening Night Preview of the second annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair: SOFA WEST 2010 in Santa Fe, NM, Lyman says, "After the tremendous turnout of over 2000 persons at our first SOFA WEST preview gala last year, the Foundation plans an intimate, private Opening Night preview for its highest level supporters, inviting its Circles membership and Business Council to an exclusive, early viewing of the fair. These individuals and companies are the movers and shakers of Santa Fe and New Mexico's vibrant arts and culture. We are pleased to offer the Foundation a first-class art event for its most stalwart supporters and give them first opportunity to purchase.”



Visitors in the CLARK + DELVECCHIO booth at SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009.

Tom Aageson, Executive Director, The Museum of New Mexico Foundation (MNMF) says, "We expect many of MNMF's top supporters to attend the Special Member Preview, and that SOFA WEST with its exciting art will be a strong draw. We look forward to working with the Fair to create a festive event for our major donors.” Museum Foundation (MNMF) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the four museums and historical state monuments that comprise the Museum of New Mexico: the Palace of the Governors and the New Mexico History Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology (www.museumfoundation.org). MNMF depends on its memberships and private giving to fund its umbrella museums' acquisitions and programming.

The Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Special Member Preview at SOFA WEST 2010 Opening Night, Wednesday, July 7 will be from 5:00 – 6:30 pm at the Santa Fe Convention Center. Admittance from 6:30 - 9:00 pm will be by VIP invitation-only. SOFA WEST: Santa Fe is the newest addition to the SOFA brand, joining its long-standing sister fairs in Chicago and New York. SOFA art fairs are international, gallery-presented expositions of artworks bridging contemporary decorative, fine art and design (www.sofaexpo.com). SOFA WEST opens to the general public on Thursday, July 8 and will run through Sunday, July 11 at the Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 West Marcy Street.

SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009 Wraps, Great Buzz and 10,000 Visitors!


	Guests in the CLARK+DELVECCHIO booth during the Opening Night Preview at SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009

SOFA WEST: Santa Fe opened with a bang on Wednesday, June 10, with an Opening Night Preview and Reception to benefit the New Mexico Museum of Art Design Collection and an invitation-only VIP preview. The show floor was packed with an estimated 2000 persons. Keith Toler, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Community Convention Center said it was “without a doubt, the largest crowd for an opening event we’ve ever seen.” Tom Agesson, Executive Director of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation said, “It was such a festive evening and very exciting to see the community come out in force.”


First Lady Barbara Richardson, Tom Agesson, Rebecca Wurzberger and Mark Lyman

Officials from the city and state levels attending including the Governor’s wife, First Lady Barbara Richardson, who cut the ribbon at the SOFA WEST: Santa Fe opening ceremony in the courtyard; Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the Department of Tourism and Stuart Ashman, Secretary of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico; State Representative Jenette Wallace; Mayor of Santa Fe, David Coss and Mayor Pro Tem, Rebecca Wurzberger; City Councilmen, Ron Trujillo and Chris Calvert; and Sabrina Pratt, Executive Director of the City of Santa Fe’s Arts Commission.

Overall attendance exceeded all expectations with 10,000 persons attending over the Fair’s four-day run, and 925 people enjoying nine Lecture Series presentations. Mark Lyman, Director/Founder of SOFA says, “This delightful, unexpected turn-out started on Opening Night, when by 7:30 pm, the hall was filled to capacity. And Thursday, Friday and though the weekend, from opening to close, we saw a constant flow of visitors from all around the region, the East and West coasts and everything in-between. We had to expand our ticket sales areas to handle the volume of visitors.”



	Doug Heller, Heller Gallery, NY with visitors

Lyman adds, “This striking birth of interest was due in part to solid support from the Mayor’s Office, Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau, Museum of New Mexico Foundation and Santa Fe Gallery Association. And also to excellent, well-researched coverage by the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Pasatiempo, as well as the Albuquerque Journal and Journal North.” Lyman also cited the editorial support of the Santa Fean, Trend Magazine and THE magazine. Many dealers remarked upon the role of “word-of-mouth,” publicity. Lyman says, “One person would tell five, and three would come to the Fair.” READ SOFA WEST PUBLICITY>

Dealers reported key sales as high as five figures, many to new clients. They also remarked upon keen one-on-one dialogues with visitors to help contextualize the works, particularly the virtuosity of (often ancient) processes, which, when combined with variations on traditional forms and contemporary content, distinguishes much of the work at SOFA.

Lyman summates, “This year was about eye-opening discovery—a base on which to build awareness of the extraordinary artistry at the Fair. We were blown away by the community of Santa Fe’s interest and support. We will be back next year!”

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