17th Annual SOFA CHICAGO 2010 and the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art under one roof for the first time

    The 17th Annual International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair: SOFA CHICAGO 2010 will be alongside the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall Nov. 4-7. SOFA will feature 80 dealers from 10 different countries. The Intuit Fair will bring together 20 leading dealers and galleries presenting self-taught art, outsider art, art brut, ethnographic art, non-traditional folk art and visionary art. Both fairs have related lectures, special exhibits and events included in the general admission price of $15.

    National and international attendees have long attended SOFA , the city’s longest running art fair. The combination of the two art fairs should complement and broaden the wide range of art presented to an eclectic audience. It’s Chicago “people watching” at its best.

    Galleries from all over the world will be participating, including: Jane Sauer Gallery of Santa Fe; Litvak gallery of Tel-Aviv; Galleria Norsu of Helsinki, Finland; DC and Company of Paris; Galleria San Marco Arte & Design of Venice, Italy; Kirra Galleries of Victoria, Australia; Maria Elena Kravetz Gallery of Cordoba, Argentina; Crawford Contemporary of New York; Galleri Udengaard of Aarhus, Denmark; Old City Caesarea Gallery, Caesarea, Israel; Option Art of Montreal, Quebec; and CREA Gallery of Montreal, Quebec.

    SOFA CHICAGO and Intuit Show hours are as follows: Opening Night Preview is Thursday, Nov. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50. General admission fair hours are Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 7 from noon to 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for single day general admission (admits to both fairs) and $25 for a three-day pass. Discounted student, senior and group tickets are available. Preview and fair tickets will be available online soon and at the door. For more information, visit www.sofaexpo.com or www.outsiderfolkartfair.com. 

The Demise of the Toboggan Run Even if the snow does fall this season, there's no use anxiously anticipating a ride down a toboggan run. All toboggan slides in Cook County are closed indefinitely.

Barack Obama: Under the Lights The first-ever Barack Obama magazine cover

The Private Public Life of Ed Burke Though only 61, Alderman Ed Burke, the king of a ward inherited from his father, is a relic of old Chicago politics.

Gift Books for Econ Lovers Understanding economists and joining their conversations

What Lies Beneath Lincoln Park An artist researches what remains of the old Chicago City Cemetery - it's more than anyone thought.

Artists Are As Important As Their Art Often, artists are drawn to art as if it were a calling or a suitor.

IN MEMORIUM: Ed Paschke "Life is very much about rule-breaking, about confrontation. Otherwise history would just stand still.

The Great Gallery Fire Within just a few hours, a colossal blaze decimated a thriving mecca for the Chicago fine arts community.

Missing: An Authentic Chicago Museum Chicago as an art community has always gone its own way--paying attention to neither trend nor fashion.

Renaissance Mandate The city's latest plan could rejuvenate schools or wash away prior achievements.