Can Santa Fe shoulder yet another high-end art event? According to some, the answer is a resounding "yes" as SOFA — the international exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art — makes its appearance at the Santa Fe Convention Center from Thursday, June 11, to Sunday, June 14 (with an opening-night preview on Wednesday, June 10). The annual art and design exposition originated in Chicago in 1994 and has been a yearly affair in New York City since 1998.

"I am passionate about this event," said Jane Sauer, owner of Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe and a long-time participant in SOFA. Sauer is part of a small contingency of local promoters who were instrumental in bringing the fair here, under the name SOFA West: Santa Fe. "The galleries that are coming from out of town are truly the best of the best. This event has great potential to grow to the size of Folk Art Market, Spanish Market, and Indian Market in time."

At last count, more than 30 galleries are participating in SOFA West, featuring top artists who work in a variety of media, including bronze, porcelain, ceramic, glass, cast iron, copper, aluminum, stoneware, fabric, stainless steel, wood, and all combinations thereof. Some of the pieces are, indeed, functional — chairs, benches, sofas, credenzas, vases, and lighting fixtures — but despite their utilitarian character, all of the pieces are beautifully well-crafted objects. However, the majority of work in SOFA was not created to be sat on, to accommodate table settings, or to be plugged into a wall socket, but purely to nourish aesthetic sensibilities.

Gallerists representing venues from Argentina, Israel, Denmark, England, and Mexico will be present at SOFA West. Nationally, gallery representatives from 12 states will showcase work, including eight galleries in Santa Fe: Altermann Galleries, Bellas Artes, Blue Rain Gallery, C Gallery, Clark+Delvecchio, Evoke Contemporary, TAI Gallery, and Jane Sauer Gallery.

"I have shown my artwork in SOFA exhibitions since the first ones, in both Chicago and New York City, and have attended every SOFA held in Chicago in one capacity or another," said Sauer. "In the world of material-based art, it is the place in which you must be seen and have your artists exposed. SOFA is not only the presentation of art but a meeting place for most national groups that support these art forms." At SOFA West, Sauer will showcase glasswork by Toland Sand, Brent Lee Young, and Latchezar Boyadjiev, as well as pop-culture beadwork by Teri Greeves and mixed-media art by Jan Hopkins and Lesley Richmond.

Tony and Richard Altermann of Altermann Galleries, which has been a fixture in Santa Fe for more than 30 years, are first-time players with SOFA. "We will see if Santa Fe can support the show, but I believe there is a collectors' base in Santa Fe for SOFA," said Richard Altermann. The gallery is featuring just one artist, Ron Balser, who is "nationally known for his truisms etched in granite benches and art furniture." Adds Richard, "Our motivation [to be in SOFA West] is the artist who we are promoting at the show. I believe his artwork will be appropriate for the venue."

"We are a new gallery that just opened in Santa Fe in February, so this is our first experience as an exhibitor with SOFA, as well as our very first art fair," said Evoke Contemporary director Kathrine Erickson. "We have been aware of the renowned reputation of the SOFA expos as the world's foremost art fairs for sculptural objects and functional art for over a decade. ... We have already witnessed the benefit from being involved with SOFA West. We have had collectors visiting the gallery because we are involved with SOFA and listed on their Web site." Evoke will display work by a group of glass artists, including Kelly O'Dell, Ross Richmond, Kim Goldfarb, and Raven Skyriver.

"We attended SOFA shows in the past, but this will be our first time participating," said Ursula Gebert, owner of C Gallery. "When we were contacted about SOFA West, it was natural to be part of it." Gebert believes that "SOFA is bringing together art and design more than any other venue. It is truly promoting living with art."

"Santa Fe is one of the largest art markets in the country, yet it seems to exist on a separate plane from other major venue cities," said Denise Phetteplace, director of Blue Rain Gallery. "I think SOFA West has the potential to be a great bridge to the New York and Chicago markets for Santa Fe." Blue Rain Gallery has been associated with SOFA Chicago since 2007.

Mixed-media fiber pieces by Olga de Amaral and work by Judy Pfaff will be on view from Bellas Artes Gallery at SOFA West. "We began showing at art fairs in the late '90s," said gallery owner Charlotte Kornstein. "We have exhibited at Art Palm Beach, the Los Angeles Art Show, and Art Miami in addition to SOFA. We have exhibited with SOFA for over 10 years both in New York and Chicago, and it has been very successful for us." She added that SOFA West "will bring in professionals as well as collectors and make them aware of Santa Fe as an important destination for art."

Robert T. Coffland, owner of TAI Gallery — an acronym for Textile Arts Inc. — believes that SOFA, Santa Fe, and his gallery are a good fit. He first exhibited in Chicago in 1997. "I see this as an opportunity for local people who have never visited the gallery — or for some to take another look at what we are doing now. That is what art fairs are about — putting a lot of art in a single place for people to look at. SOFA is meant to be a destination event that will also draw on Northern New Mexico. And I think there will be considerable interest from Albuquerque. This is a very approachable art fair for the average person." Coffland added that "we will focus more on sculptural forms than traditional vessels," resulting in bamboo artist Mimura Chikuho being front and center.

Internationally known Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio, dealers in modern and contemporary ceramics, have had venues in Los Angeles, Kansas City, New York, and London. "Our association with SOFA began in the mid-1980s, when the fair was called a different name and was only in Chicago," said Del Vecchio. Last year, they developed a Web-based gallery, Clark+Delvecchio. "Having made Santa Fe our new home, we want to have a low profile for a while. After running galleries ... over a 30-year period, we want to take a break from a public venue. But we look forward to an active role in the city's art scene.

"Since moving to Santa Fe last year and after living in New York for over a quarter century, I find there is a similarity to the people who live in both cities, and that is by curiosity, amusement, and interest. Whether it be a lecture at SITE or a performance at Gig or even a group installation at Meow Wolf, there is an intense interest in what is happening in the arts, and this art fair will delight, interest and hopefully create new artists and collectors from the exposure." Clark and Del Vecchio plan to display ceramic work by approximately 20 artists at SOFA West, while showcasing Keith Haring and Christine McHorse.

The opening-night preview benefits the New Mexico Museum of Art and its Design New Mexico Collection. According to Tim Rodgers, chief curator at NMMA, money raised during the opening gala will be used to enhance the museum's growing collection of design-oriented objects. "Over the years, we have collected a small selection of New Mexico design — furniture, tinwork, ceramics, and industrial design," he said. "Because of the positive responses to our inclusion of design in the How the West Is One exhibit, we decided that we would like to expand our design collection."

"We do realize that this fair is coming a month too soon for the 'season,' but we hope to meet the year-round Santa Fe community and see just how we fit into this wonderful town," Del Vecchio said. "SOFA will definitely test those waters."