SOFA @ Navy Pier

Celebrating its 16th year, SOFA, the wildly popular sculpture objects & functional art fair, returns to Chicago to present work from 68 international galleries and dealers from 10 countries. As always, the fair will be at Navy Pier, Festival Hall: 600 E. Grand. It will continue through Sunday the 8th. Fair hours are as follows: Friday and Saturday: 11am - 8pm; Sunday 12-6pm. Tickets are $15 for single day general admission and $25 for a three-day pass. Discounted student, senior and group tickets are available. Catalogs are $15. For general information, visit SOFA's website, call 773-506-8860, or email info@sofaexpo.com.

"Wine and Time" Lecture/Tasting @ threewalls

David Tamarkin will lead a seminar on the pleasure of wine; a sensory examination and evaluation of wine for personal appreciation. We will discuss a range of perceived flavors, aromas and general characteristics of wine in a casual format and do some tasting. Tamarkin wears a lot of hats-- working for institutions from Time Out to CBS News to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"-- almost always functioning as a professional taste maker and "foodie." (Sorry for using that word.) The lecture starts at 7pm at threewalls: 119 N. Peoria, #2D. $5 Suggested donation. Call 312-432-3972 for more information.

Muppets double feature @ Film Center

The Gene Siskel Film Center presents a screening of the Muppet movie The Muppets Take Manhattan this afternoon at 2pm, and a compilation of musical moments from "The Muppet Show" at 4pm. Tickets for both shows are available separately, or you can buy a discounted ticket for both shows. See the Film Center Website for details. Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.

Artists Run Chicago Digest Release Party @ Hyde Park Art Center

The Artists Run Chicago Digest, published by threewalls and The Green Lantern Press, documents Chicago artist-run spaces active between 1999 and 2009 offering a look at the various platforms that often act as extensions to studio practice. The ARC Digest acts as compliment to and extension of the Artists Run Chicago exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center, with interviews, essays, and an audio supplement presenting a 10-year time period in Chicago's artist-run culture.

The release party is from 2-5pm, Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S. Cornell.
For more information, visit the HPAC's website or call them at 773-324-5520.

New Belgium Experimental Dinner @ Lush

Lush Wines and Spirits at 1257 South Halsted holds an "experimental" dinner tonight, pairing pork shoulder, sausage and sauerkraut with sour beers from New Belgium tonight from 5-8pm. Tickets $15. RSVP required.