The Case for ISA: Four Members' Stories

Room at the table for young leadership; an exclusive focus on personal property appraising; a supportive network of fellow professionals and a clear, peer-supported path to credentialing - many ISA members cite these benefits as the reasons why the organization has experienced such dynamic growth in the past decade.

With over 800 members and growing, ISA is the professional organization of choice for the majority of qualified personal property appraisers throughout the US, Canada and abroad.

We asked new and long-time members to report what they value most about our society, why they joined ISA, and why they recommend ISA training and membership to colleagues.

Michelle Conliffe, ISA CAPP 

Michelle Conliffe joined ISA in 2013. Michelle holds an MA in American Fine and Decorative Arts from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. Within three years of joining ISA, Michelle earned her CAPP, ISA's highest designation. She has lead volunteer committees, served on strategic task forces, and last year, her fresh ideas and natural leadership skills were rewarded when she was selected by her peers to serve on the National Board of Directors. ISA's defined personal property focus, strategic plan for growth, and members’ diversity in geography and expertise initially attracted Michelle to our organization.

"In 2012, I made the difficult decision to leave an established auction house and go into business for myself as an appraiser. At the time, I did not know everything that would be required to launch my business, but I knew that I would need an accreditation that reflected the high standards I set for myself and my work.

Of the three major appraisal societies, ISA stood out for a few reasons. 1) The ISA community is focused primarily on fine and decorative art appraisals. 2) The membership has the widest geographical reach, giving me access to a large network of professionals that possess a broad range of expertise. 3) There is a path to growth within the organization that reflects the work and effort I put into it, rather than depending on an arbitrary length of service.

I have found first-hand that if you have a fresh idea or see a part of the organization that needs improvement, ISA wants to hear your voice. With this diversity of ideas, I know that ISA will continue to grow and thrive as the leading personal property appraisal organization."

Glenn M. Rand, ISA, EdD

Glenn M. Rand, EdD, joined ISA in 2016. As a seasoned educator with a doctorate of education and 12 published books in the field of photography, Glenn was looking for a professional organization that would reward the connoisseurship he brought to the field, allowing him to apply his advanced training toward acquiring his appraising credential. Glenn found ISA's unique Specialty and Advanced Studies Committee vetting pathway very attractive, because it allowed him to demonstrate his scholarship without compromising the advanced methodology training he knew he needed to feel fully qualified to begin a second career in appraising.

"Having had full careers in higher education, as an artist, as an author and having recently created a fine art services business, it was natural to see professional appraising as a future path.

Being familiar with appraisals from collecting art and my work with donations to museums, I realized that education and knowledge of prevailing standards would be required to adequately provide appraisal services to clients.

In reviewing the potentials for acquiring this knowledge base, it became clear that ISA provided the most inclusive educational programs and professional potentials. Through ISA, I have meet professionals willing to share their experiences, knowledge and collaboration, helping me chart my new career direction."

Darlene Hines, ISA CAPP

Darlene Hines joined ISA in 1998. Darlene holds ISA's highest appraisal designation, and is a past National Board member with almost 20 years of service in a broad range of capacities. She typifies the generosity of spirit unique to ISA that values supporting colleagues to grow and excel. She has recommended many employees to membership without fear of competition. Darlene's motto is "Givers Gain." There may not be a better illustration of the supportive culture that ISA encourages than Darlene's tireless example to "work together rather than compete."

"When I joined ISA in 1998, my husband and I owned an antique gallery and we were getting requests for appraisals. At the time, I was working toward a Master’s Degree, working full time, and raising three children. Determined to make the great adventure of becoming an appraiser work, I chose ISA for its strong ethical characteristics, options for continuing education, networking opportunities, and because it was simply the best organization in the field.

It's rewarding to speak of ISA to others seeking membership or expressing a zeal for appraising. I have referred many of my employees to ISA over the years, including a new member who I believe will be a rising star. I have also started a local appraisers' group with current ISA appraisers in Michigan. We meet for lunch and discuss the importance of credentialing, continuing education, and service to the organization. If I could help encourage appraisers to work together rather than compete, we would set a positive example for our businesses and ISA."

Pam Campbell, ISA CAPP

Pam Campbell joined ISA in 1994. Together with her husband, Bill, she operates one of Ft. Worth's most prestigious contemporary art galleries with a prominent national reputation. As a long-standing member of more than one professional appraisal organization, Pam migrated to ISA because she valued the society's exclusive focus on personal property appraising, and the superior local support and continuing education she found in her active local chapter.

"ISA offered a wealth of advantages to me as a personal property appraiser that I did not find in the other organization in my geographical area. ISA’s local chapter holds regular monthly meetings, with superior personal property-focused education, in addition to the opportunity to socialize with colleagues.

ISA coursework gets to the point, with a nuts-and-bolts approach rather than abstract concepts. The many courses offered by ISA beyond the Core Course allow members to continue to be excited about learning, with new courses constantly in development.

With ISA, I found a group of colleagues who were and remain welcoming, willing to collaborate, are generous with knowledge, and are interested in strengthening the appraisal profession."

Would you like to become part of the ISA family?

For those new to the profession, learn more about how ISA can help you launch a lucrative career in personal property appraising.

For seasoned professionals, view our complete list of ISA benefits designed to help you grow and succeed as a personal property appraiser.

If you’re currently a member of another appraisal organization, be sure to view our ISA Bridging Policy. Through December 15, 2017, your application fee is waived.

The Top 7 Reasons to Take a Course on Chinese Decorative Arts

Susan Lahey, MA, ISA AM

This summer, I have the pleasure of teaching a course for ISA on Chinese decorative arts from the ancient to the contemporary.

The course takes place June 21-23 in Sarasota, Florida, with a field trip day scheduled at the beginning of the course followed by two in-classroom days. The course will help appraisers become familiar with a wide range of Chinese decorative arts, including jades, bronzes, snuff bottles, cloisonné, ivories, textiles, lacquerware, and ceramics. Context and history are key elements of the course, as we will discuss how Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism shaped the aesthetics of Chinese art, how the decorative arts evolved through dynastic and Imperial Chinese history, and what the current art market looks like and how to identify fakes. 

If you haven’t registered for the course yet, sign up on the ISA website!

A decorative jade vessel

On the course’s field trip day, participants will take a special tour of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, as there are two special exhibitions visiting there in June. The first is Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, showcasing nearly 100 Chinese bronze objects used to conduct religious rituals, record significant events, and represent elite status from the Shan through Han dynasties (1600 BCE to 220 CE). We will also visit the exhibition Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, an outdoor collection of 12 bronze sculptures by one of the most renowned Chinese sculptors and installation artists, Ai Weiwei. 

Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Heads

In addition to these two special exhibitions, we will also visit the newly-opened Center for Asian Art at the Ringling, which permanently houses more than 2,000 examples of Chinese ceramics and traces the history of Asian art and culture from the Mediterranean and Eurasia to the New World through the Silk Road and trade development. Objects in this collection emphasize the dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary in Chinese art, such as a 19th century limestone scholar’s rock flanked opposite Zhan Wang’s 21st century stainless-steel Artificial Rock #124.  

Dragon detail from porcelain object

Don’t miss your opportunity to take a tour of outstanding collections of art and develop a strong knowledge base around Chinese decorative arts. 

With that, I present to you:

The Top 7 Reasons to Take a Course on Chinese Decorative Arts

1. Have the opportunity to handle bronzes, jades, textiles, ceramics, cloisonné and more examples of Chinese decorative arts
2. Learn strategies for identifying fakes
3. Understand how Chinese art and philosophy impacted Western art
4. Enhance your appraisal and research skills through learning about resources, dealers and the current market and collecting trends
5. Learn about manufacture techniques for good, better, best distinctions in all media
6. Broaden your horizons. As they say, “Every generalist appraiser should also develop a specialty.”
7. Connect with appraisal colleagues while in sunny Florida!

What are you waiting for? Sign up for the course today!

Scholarships for ISA’s education courses are available through the Foundation for Appraisal Education, with applications due May 1. There is also a $200 discount available for those who register for both the Chinese Decorative Arts course and the Appraisal of Japanese Prints course in Sarasota this summer. Contact ISA headquarters at 312.981.6778 to receive this discount or for more information.

- Susan Lahey, MA, ISA AM

Apply for FAE-Supported Garrett Scholarship for Winterthur Institute Course

Wendell D. Garrett

The Foundation for Appraisal Education (FAE) is now offering a scholarship for the Winterthur Institute Oct. 12-23 course. Graduate students and professionals who are new to fields related to the decorative arts and demonstrate financial need will be considered for the scholarship, named in honor of Wendell D. Garrett. To download the course and scholarship application, visit the Winterthur website.

About the Winterthur Institute course, Oct. 12-23 (from the Winterthur website):

Escape into the world of decorative arts from the 17th through the early 20th centuries. This intensive course offers an in-depth, two-week study of domestic furnishings made or used in America. Designed to appeal to individuals interested in American decorative arts, content for the course centers on the Winterthur collection, the world's largest assemblage of decorative arts made or used in America between 1640 and 1860.  

The course includes an orientation to Winterthur and an introduction to the principles of connoisseurship. Students also utilize resources in the Winterthur Library facilities. The program also includes field trips to local historic sites.

Sessions take place in classrooms, period rooms, and the exhibition areas of Winterthur. Classes are held five days a week from approximately 9:00am to 4:00pm. Each day begins with lectures by Winterthur staff and/or guest speakers. Most afternoon programs are conducted in museum period rooms or with artifacts in classrooms. Guide specialists lead groups of five in "room studies." Workshops are small to allow close examination of the objects.

During the program, participants may take special-subject house tours that allow more in-depth study of particular styles and media.

Winterthur is pleased to offer a scholarship in honor of Wendell D. Garrett through the generous support of the Foundation for Appraisal Education. Graduate students and professionals who are new to fields related to the decorative arts and demonstrate financial need will be considered for the Garrett Scholarship.

Cost for the two-week session is $1,750. By application only. Call 302.888.4786 for more information.

A Call for Volunteers

Christine Guernsey, ISA CAPP

By Christine Guernsey, ISA CAPP

I have just reread President Cindy Charleston Rosenberg’s New Year’s Message. If you haven’t read it, click on the above link and prepare to be stunned by how far ISA has come in the last several years in terms of being an industry leader, guiding its members towards compliance with accreditations and industry qualifications, and helping its membership become (and stay) successful in an extremely competitive field. It is abundantly clear why ISA has become the premiere professional personal property appraisal organization of choice!

But just who is “ISA,” and how is it achieving so many amazing advancements for its members? “ISA” is not some omnipresent “wizard behind a curtain” or a large corporation complete with hundreds of individual staffers working 24/7 to make our members rich and successful. ISA is an organizational name. ISA is comprised of 800+ personal property appraisers, primarily throughout the United States and Canada. ISA is you. ISA is me. Together, we make ISA the organization that it is.

So how have all of these amazing accomplishments happened within the last few years? Because of the hundreds of volunteer hours that, currently, a small portion of ISA members have donated to the following projects and programs:

• Creating new marketing concepts, which are benefiting all of our members.
• Developing strategic partnerships with industry leading companies regarding the use of appraisal services, as well as who can refer business to our members.
• Finding and nurturing sponsorship relationships and monies which fund educational programming for members.
• Creating and teaching methodology and theory courses, pathways to accreditation courses, Requalification and USPAP courses, which members can take on site and online to keep their credentialing current, as required by The Appraisal Foundation. Our courses give members an edge on the competition that we all feel from the many other venues that provide “appraisal services”. Our courses are some of the best in the industry, and they help make our appraisers some of the best in the business.
• Providing an annual conference every year, which extends an opportunity to members to learn, network, and expand their appraisal opportunities.

Can you imagine how much more ISA could accomplish if all 800+ of our members donated even 10 hours a year?

There are so many opportunities to get involved with ISA and help keep our organization strong, healthy and create better business opportunities for its members. We all have special skills of one kind or another, and we all have at least 10 hours a year that we can give back to an organization that is working hard for each and every member.

Here are just a few opportunities which have an immediate need:

Is increasing membership important to you?

Our Membership Committee needs current members from all across the United States and Canada to help spread the word about ISA. Do you know potential members, individuals thinking about getting into the appraisal business that you can approach with the message of our organization? As a current member, you are the perfect volunteer to reach out and give them the "insider's" view of the advantages of ISA membership. This is a committee worth joining, one that will not occupy a lot of your time but that gives you an additional avenue for networking with like-minded folks.

Some specific areas that need help are reaching out to young auction, art and antique professionals who may be interested in adding appraising to their skill sets. We also need volunteers to work on member satisfaction and benefits.  If you are interested in volunteering to increase membership and member satisfaction, contact Judith Martin directly at Judith@theperfectthing.net or call 630-665-5200.

Going to Assets 2015?

Mo Aubry, BOD Liaison to the Membership Committee, is looking for a few friendly faces to help meet and greet new members and first-timers to conference. Remember your first conference? Remember how nice it was to have someone reach out and make you feel welcome? We have so many new and interesting members from all kinds of venues and backgrounds joining us. Help “meet and greet,” and make some new valued colleagues in the process. Contact Mo Aubry at marian.aubry@verizon.net or call (941) 544-6806.

Know a lot about appraising or have product knowledge to share?

Karen Rabe is looking for mentors to help share their wealth of knowledge with new appraisers looking for advice in developing their appraisal skills. I have personally participated in this program and can say from experience that mentoring someone is extremely rewarding! I have made several new friendships with appraisers from different parts of the country. With all our new appraisers' varied backgrounds, the mentor ends up learning as many new valuable tricks as the appraiser being mentored. Contact Karen Rabe at ksrabe@gmail.com.

How are your marketing skills?

Our Marketing Committee could use some volunteers who are savvy with social media and have good writing skills. We need detail oriented volunteers who can help to prepare, write content, copy-edit and place ISA promotional material (ex. publicizing ISA’s LMS and educational webinars) on social media sites. We want to use as many online avenues as we can to get the word out about the conference, our sponsors, and why ISA is the premiere professional personal property appraisal organization of choice. If you know your way around the Internet, this committee is for you. Contact Todd Sigety at toddsig01@gmail.com.

Are you good at fundraising?

The Resource Development Committee can use a few good "money makers." We have sold out of our sponsorship opportunities for Assets 2015 (amazing!), but we need members with good ideas and relationship skills that can help us maintain our sponsor relationships on a year-long basis. Our sponsors are very important to us. In addition to helping cover the many costs of our annual conference, they also provide monies that help us create new educational opportunities for our members. They work with our members in providing referrals, product knowledge and appraisal related services. Want to join this team as it heads off in exciting new directions? Contact Fred Winer at fred@pwpusa.com or call 410-337-0085.

These are just a few of the volunteer opportunities in the immediate future. We would love to have you join the ranks of our valued volunteers. Your participation helps ISA continue to grow and provide valuable member benefits for all.

FAE to Fund Wendell Garrett Winterthur Scholarships

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – The Foundation for Appraisal Education (FAE), the fundraising arm of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), has announced the establishment of a scholarship program at Winterthur Museum, Library and Gardens in the name of revered antiques authority the late Wendell D. Garrett. To be awarded over three consecutive years to graduate students or professionals with less than five years of experience in the field, the scholarships will be underwritten by funds raised through a series of FAE activities including their educational seminars. The scholarships to be awarded in Wendell Garrett’s name are for Winterthur Institute, Furniture Forum and Ceramics Conference.

This year’s seminar will take place Sept. 6-7 at Quinn’s Auction Galleries in Falls Church, Va. (suburban Washington DC). Registration is open to anyone with a working association or interest in antiques and fine art. The ISA will award 15.5 professional development credits to those appraisers who attend the event in its entirety.

The seminar agenda is packed with entertaining, informative talks, as well as ample leisure time for socializing, dining and networking. A meet-and-greet reception to welcome attendees will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5 at Quinn’s second-floor gallery.

On Friday morning at 9:15, the lecture series will begin with Sumpter Priddy III’s discourse on Religion and Furniture in Southern Back-Country. This will be followed by noted New York art dealer Betty Krulik’s address on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in American Painting.

Friday afternoon speakers include Luke Zipp of Crocker Farm Auctions, who will discuss American Stoneware: Its History and Uses 1812-1900; and Yale Fellow Louisa Brouwer, of Israel Sack Inc., who will recount the story behind the building of the Israel Sack empire and its legendary founder. An evening reception will follow immediately afterward.

Saturday offers another full day of insider information from a formidable lineup of experts. At 9 a.m., Daniel K. Ackerman, associate curator of the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts, Old Salem (N.C.) Museum and Gardens, will lecture on Internet search techniques. His talk is titled Google It: Using New Tools to Unlock Secrets of Old Things. Next, Alan Fausel, MA, FRICS, vice president and director of fine arts at Bonhams, will reveal Ten Ways to Tell a Fake Painting Without Looking at It. After lunch, Ronald W. Fuchs II, curator of ceramics and manager of the Reeves Collection, Washington and Lee University, will speak on Chinese Export for the American Market 1785-1940. The seminar will conclude with the personal recollections of highly decorated former FBI Agent Robert K. Wittman, who spearheaded the crack FBI Art Crime Team and authored a riveting autobiography titled “Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures.”

FAE Board member Marcy Molinaro, ISA AM, said the FAE made a commitment to underwrite the three Wendell Garrett Scholarships over the next three years as a posthumous tribute to one of the antiques trade’s most influential contributors.

“Wendell Garrett left an immense legacy to appraisers, dealers and collectors through his lectures, books and magazine articles. In recognition of his lifetime of achievement, we approached the Winterthur Museum and asked if we could partner with them to fund scholarships in his name. Winterthur was an appropriate choice, as Mr. Garrett was a member of the first graduating class, in 1957, of Winterthur’s Early American Culture Program,” Molinaro said.

Matthew Quinn, vice president of Quinn’s Auction Galleries, noted that the series of seminars will offer attendees “not only a wealth of useful information, but also a unique opportunity to network at the highest echelons of the antiques and fine art trade.” He added: “It’s rare for so many VIPs to come together under one roof, make themselves accessible to others one on one, and share their knowledge so openly.” Quinn’s is hosting the seminar at its venue and providing hospitality to guests a courtesy to the antiques and fine art appraisal community.

The cost to attend the Sept. 6-7 seminar, inclusive of receptions, lunches and refreshment breaks, is $375. Of that cost, $200 is a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation for Appraisal Education. Attendance is limited to 100 registrants. Quinn’s is located at 360 S. Washington St. Falls Church, VA 22046. Nearest airports: Reagan National and Dulles International. A special room rate of $95/night is available at the Hyatt House, 8296 Glass Alley, Falls Church, Va., by quoting the booking reference QUINNS.

Questions regarding the FAE Seminar may be directed to Andrea Lee at Quinn’s Auction by calling 703-532-5632 or emailing info@quinnsauction.com; or Marcy Molinaro at molinaro.marcy@gmail.com. To reserve a room at the Hyatt House, call 571-327-2277.

To view the entire seminar agenda, or to download a brochure or registration form, visit http://www.foundationforappraisaleducation.org/seminar.html.

About Wendell D. Garrett: Wendell D. Garrett was an expert on American decorative arts. He served as senior vice president of Sotheby’s American decorative arts department and was subsequently editor and publisher of The Magazine Antiques. Garrett also authored numerous books on antiques and Americana, and was widely known from his appearances on WGBH-TV’s Antiques Roadshow. He passed away last year at the age of 83.

Scholarship Recipients

The Board of Directors of the Foundation for Appraisal Education is excited and proud to announce the recipients of the 2012 scholarship awards! This year, the Foundation provided education opportunities for (8) individuals that were carefully selected by the Scholarship Award Committee.  Our successful fundraising efforts over the past two years have enabled us to award additional scholarships for 2012, and we couldn’t be more pleased!  After the initial round of previously announced scholarships, the Foundation was able to accommodate three additional awards including a special scholarship to our upcoming seminar sponsored by Quinn Auction Galleries.  The applicants who were not selected in the first round became candidates for these additional scholarships. It has been a banner year for the Foundation!


Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. Scholarship in Fine & Decorative Arts:

Amelia Green (ISA ARC Course) $1,500.00

Experienced Appraiser:

Laura Nelson (ISA Fine Arts Course) $1,000.00

Suzy McGrane-Hop (ISA Assets 2013 Conference) $1,000.00

New Appraiser:

Danielle McAllister (Canada) (ISA Core Course distance education) $1,000.00

Kamille Parkinson (ISA Fine Arts Course) $1,000.00


Additional General Scholarships:

Carol Wamble (CAPP Requal) $450.00

Larra Nebel "Using Comparables in Appraisal Practice" $395.00


Judy Martin Scholarship for the 2012 Quinn Seminar:

Amanda Williams $375.00

FAE Announces Scholarship Extension

The Foundation for Appraisal Education board is pleased to announce a two week extension to the annual scholarship application period!

Applications will be accepted thru Monday, July 16, in order to give everyone an opportunity to submit their applications. The scholarship award recipients will be announced on or around July 31.

New this year, an additional scholarship in the "Experienced Appraiser category" has been added to the three existing scholarships.

The application may be found on the FAE website.