NEW YORK—It might seem unpropitious to open an art fair on April 15, but the date, with its reminders of taxes due, did not hurt the attendance at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art fair (more commonly known as SOFA), which opened at the Park Avenue Armory the same evening with a preview to benefit the Museum of Art & Design (MAD). A huge crowd was on hand, and their enthusiasm for the fair was palpable.

Encompassing just about every type of craft, from jewelry and furniture to ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and glass, SOFA, on view through April 19, has something for everyone, though quality can vary.

Fifty-four dealers exhibited works from hundreds of artisans, several of whom were at the opening and were very willing to talk about their work. Furniture maker Michael Hurwitz, for example, whose pieces are on sale at the double-sized booth of William Zimmer Gallery from Mendocino, Calif., pointed out that his Chinese cabinet, made of zelkova wood, bamboo, silk-and-epoxy resin, Damascus steel, and bronze, and priced at $55,000, was one of a pair shown at the Peabody Essex Museum last year. Hurwitz was also showing a pine forest desk overlaid with lacquer ($40,000) that he created in Japan with Yuji Kubo, a famous lacquer master.

Also at the Zimmer booth was a beautifully stained Eastern black walnut rocking chair by Thomas Hucker, priced at $16,000, and etched square metal wall pieces by British metalsmith Rebecca Gouldson, who was also at the show. Four of the plaques sold on the first day for $850 each, proving the attractiveness of the fine, highly affordable material that can be found at SOFA.

New York dealer Joan Mirviss devoted half of her booth to the work of the well-known Japanese glass ceramicist Miyashita Zenji, whose layered creations evoke sunsets and landscapes. On opening night, Mirviss sold seven of Zenji’s pieces, which were priced from $4,800 to $15,000; by the middle of the following day she had sold 10 of the 15 she’d brought to the fair. The other half of her booth contained a sampling of ceramic artists she represents, most of them from Kyoto, including Kondo Takashiro, whose porcelain-and-cast-glass sculpture Green Mist sold for $15,000.

Another ceramics dealer, Joanna Bird Pottery from London, sold Pippin Drysdale’s Installation #1, comprising 23 yellow and orange carved ceramic forms, for $79,000.

London gallery Claire Beck at Adrian Sassoon sold Propagation Project: Multiple Pinecone, a sculpture hand-forged from mild steel and coated with wax by Japanese artist Junko Mori, for $11,500.

First-time exhibitor Alastair Crawford of New York was showing contemporary silver and gold pieces that he designs himself. Four silver candlesticks formed as monkeys in different poses were much admired; they were priced at $18,000 each. By the end of the first day, Crawford had sold several pieces of his jewelry, including an 18-carat gold and diamond bracelet for $12,800.

New York’s Heller Gallery had many outstanding works by master Italian glass blower Lino Tagliapietra. They were priced in the high five figures.

Leo Kaplan Modern, also of New York, sold a Richard Jolley glass sculpture, a blue Still Life, for $38,000.

Habitat Galleries from Chicago had sold around 40 percent of its booth by Thursday afternoon. Deals included a wall sculpture by Shayna Leib that was made of blown glass, glass cane, and steel and priced at $46,000, and which went to “someone associated with MAD,” according to gallery owner Karen Echt. Also sold were three of four sculptures made from bronze and blown and cast glass by Oben Abright, each of which was priced at $28,000. The fourth was on reserve. “We always sell him out,” said Echt.

But the piece in her booth that seemed to attract the most attention was a garbage can filled with Chinese take-out boxes, cigarette packages, crumpled paper bags, empty and broken beer bottles, and the like by Matt Eskuche, who is known for his trash-inspired art. This work was priced at $11,500. By the end of the first day, there were lots of lookers — including many who said, “I could make that,” and “Why is that art?” — but no takers. But perhaps one will come along.