Mark Lyman, president of The Art Fair Company, producer of the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art (SOFA) Fairs in Chicago, New York and Santa Fe, NM, today announces that The Art Fair Company is now accepting proposals for the second recipient of SOFA's US$5000 annual arts research grant "New Voices: A Grant for Discourse on International Contemporary Arts and Design." Application is by invitation only, and eligible groups will be contacted directly by The Art Fair Company. Invitations will be sent on May 16, 2011.

"New Voices" is a research grant that is awarded annually to a non-profit group selected by The Art Fair Company. "The purpose of the 'New Voices' grant is to broaden the American perspective on international contemporary arts and design by allowing the recipient organization to select a non-U.S. based arts writer or scholar to research a contemporary artist or artists from outside the U.S.," says Lyman.

After their research, the grant recipient will subsequently write a catalog essay and present a lecture on his or her impressions on trends in international media-based arts at the following SOFA CHICAGO art fair, held annually in the fall. The 2011 grant recipient will present their essay and lecture at SOFA CHICAGO 2012.

On Friday, May 14, 2010 at the COLLECT 2010 art fair in London, Lyman presented the first £3500 "New Voices" grant to Art Jewelry Forum, whose mission is to promote education, appreciation and support for contemporary art jewelry. Lyman announced at COLLECT 2010 that Damian Skinner, PhD, was selected to attend COLLECT 2011.

Skinner, who will write a catalog essay and present a lecture at SOFA CHICAGO 2011, is an art historian and curator who has authored or co-authored seven books. He lives in Gisborne, New Zealand. In 2010, he curated the exhibition and catalog for "Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry," which toured the United States. Upcoming projects include a new book about contemporary jewelry (as both editor and a contributing author) to be published in 2012, and a history of Australian and New Zealand jewelry with Kevin Murray.

For more information about The Art Fair Company, please visit www.sofaexpo.com. Questions about SOFA's annual "New Voices" grant may be directed to Anne Meszko, anne@theartfaircompany.com.