Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design
Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) was a series of art fairs that showcased three‑dimensional works blending fine art, decorative art, and design. It ran mainly in Chicago from 1994 to 2022, with a smaller New York fair from 1998 to 2012 and a short‑lived West Coast edition in Santa Fe from 2009 to 2011.
The fairs were led by Mark Lyman, the founding director of SOFA Chicago and SOFA New York, who also served as president of the Art Fair Company. The Chicago event began in 1994 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers with 58 exhibitors and about 14,000 attendees, and moved to Navy Pier in 1995. By 2007, attendance had reached a record 35,000. In 2010, SOFA Chicago partnered with the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, making it the longest‑running art fair at the time, with about 80 galleries from 10 countries. In 2012, SOFA Chicago celebrated 50 years of the studio glass movement and later, in 2013, began branding itself as Sculpture Objects Functional Art + Design. In 2019, the fair was sold to Intersect Art and Design and rebranded Intersect Chicago; it ran online in 2020 due to the COVID‑19 pandemic and returned in 2021 before being renamed back to SOFA Chicago in 2022, under new ownership, marking its last edition.
SOFA New York began in 1998 at the Seventh Regiment Armory (Park Avenue at 67th Street). It held its last edition in 2012 after rents rose and made the fair uneconomical to run. A notable 2011 event saw a special dinner on preview night at the Museum of Arts and Design honoring collector Judy Cornfeld.
SOFA West debuted in 2009 at the Santa Fe Convention Center and ran through 2011, with a planned 2012 edition canceled for economic reasons. The Santa Fe edition was supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.
Overall, SOFA fairs focused on three‑dimensional works that crossed boundaries among fine art, decorative art, and design, often featuring special museum and university exhibits, lectures, and events. Chicago’s fair was usually held in November at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, while New York’s took place in June at the Seventh Regiment Armory, and Santa Fe offered a summer event in August.
Key facts
- Chicago: 1994–2022; Navy Pier Festival Hall (main venue); 1994 inaugural had 58 exhibitors and 14,000 attendees; 2007 peak attendance around 35,000; 2010–2020: partnered with Intuit Show; 2019 sold and renamed Intersect Chicago; 2020 online; 2021 in person; 2022 returned to SOFA Chicago (last edition).
- New York: 1998–2012; Seventh Regiment Armory; 2011 Judy Cornfeld dinner at the Museum of Arts and Design.
- Santa Fe West: 2009–2011; Santa Fe Convention Center; 2012 canceled.
- Focus: three‑dimensional works bridging fine art, decorative art, and design; lectures and special exhibits with museums and universities.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:52 (CET).