Well that's it, my mind is officially blown. I am filled to the brim with inspiration and awe at what I have just seen. I was extremly fortunate to be asked by Craft Alliance to travel to SOFA Chicago and help run a partner booth for the Canadian Crafts Federation. 'SOFA' stands for Sculptural Objects and Functional Art, and it's a world renowned art fair that takes place each year on Chicago's Navy Pier. SOFA attracts some of the word's finest galleries, who feature works in glass, ceramics, textiles, wood, and metal. I travelled to Chicago with Maegen Black of the Canadian Crafts Federation; Jade Ansley who is a forth year jewellery student at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design; and textile artist Allison Green, who received the trip as part of her prize for winning the Nel Oudemans Award. There was an overwhelming amount of things to see and do. We went to lectures, watched live demonstrations, and mixed and mingled with gallerists, artists, curators and designers. When we needed a break from all the stimulation in SOFA, we toured the city, checked out Millennium Park (the Giant Bean, was cRaZZZy!!), went to the House of Blues to see Yonder Mountain String Band, and ate at fabulous restaurants. We also got to see the Chicago Institute of Art and just incase we hadn't had enough, Craft Alliance helped to organize a gallery tour around the city. I wore a smile the entire weekend and I'm sure the impact and influence of what I saw in Chicago will be coursing through my blood for years to come. Now that I'm home again in Gagetown, I'm back to prduction work in the studio. I'm getting ready for Christmas in the Village (November 29th & 30th), but I'm hoping that after that, I'll have some time to experiment and push my work in a new direction. If you are a practicing crafts person and are interested in coming to SOFA next year, please contact the New Brunswick Crafts Council and we will fill you in on all the details.