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

Assets 2017 in Review

With another successful installment of Assets behind us, we'd first like to extend our gratitude to those who made the conference possible, including the Board, the Annual Conference Committee, and all the speakers, attendees and sponsors.

Assets is always a reminder that our members are the most important part of ISA. The best part of conference is seeing the connections made between our members and the enriching conversations that come from those connections.

Thanks to the dedicated work of the Annual Conference Committee, this year's programming and educational offerings were outstanding, with highlights including the ISA member panel, breakout sessions, presentations on appraising an archive and estate sales, specialty tours around Chicago, and more.

ISA member panel

We also made a major announcement at Assets about a new member benefit: the ISA Job Board. The Job Board is a place where members can post or find appraisal work, including both remote and in-person opportunities. If you need temporary assistance with a project or are looking for opportunities to grow your appraisal skills, visit our site for more information!

Looking to relive your favorite moments of Assets 2017? Don't forget to tune in on April 18th at 2pm central time as Christine Guernsey presents a webinar full of Assets 2017 highlights. The webinar is complimentary and you can register here. And don't forget to "Like" ISA on Facebook and visit our page to see photographs from the meeting.

The ISA Board thanks everyone who helped make
Assets 2017 a success!

The awards brunch was held on Monday, April 3, where we recognized the members who have contributed positively to ISA throughout the past year. We'd like to congratulate the following award recipients:

Distinguished Service Award
Maureen Winer, ISA CAPP

Distinguished Service Award: ISA Instructor
Kirsten Rabe Smolensky, ISA CAPP

Lamp of Knowledge Award
Cindy Charleston-Rosenberg, ISA CAPP

Rising Leader Award
Kelly Juhasz, ISA
Sanjay Kapoor, ISA

FAE Award
Meredith Meuwly, ISA CAPP

Outgoing Leadership Award
Steve Roach, JD, ISA CAPP
Marian Aubry, ISA CAPP

President's Award
Perri Guthrie, ISA CAPP

Lifetime Achievement Award
Judith Martin, ISA CAPP

We'd also like to recognize the recipients of the Life Member Award:
Charles Barry Goldstein, ISA CAPP
Daphne Rosenzweig, PhD, ISA CAPP

As well as welcome our incoming class of new ISA CAPPs:
Brady Dreasher, ISA CAPP
Lisa Garcia, ISA CAPP
Amy Goodell, ISA CAPP
Lisa Hudspeth, ISA CAPP
Holly Nelson, ISA CAPP
Jeffrey Pearson, ISA CAPP
Darlene Wong, ISA CAPP

Save the Date! We'll see you at next year's conference, March 9-12, 2018 at the Westin Pasadena in Pasadena, California. 

The Third Track: Generalist Sessions at Assets

Elise Waters Olonia,
ISA AM

In a matter of days, we’ll be gathering at this year’s Annual Conference. You may have heard some buzz around the term “The Third Track,” referring to our generalist break-out groups on Sunday, perfectly suited for those who specialize in appraising estates. The term "Third Track" certainly creates intriguing visual imagery, especially in the historically rich town of Chicago!

Although we won’t be meeting in Union Station, some of us who focus on estates share a few of its attributes. For example, estates can be the ultimate gathering place for antiquities, intriguing artifacts and endless stories. Like Union Station, there may be underground treasures to discover. When an estate needs evaluating, there’s usually some bustling and fast movement, depending on the client’s itinerary!

“Get on board” and take a look at the Sunday program. There are three Generalist sessions which may get you on track if you don't specialize in only Fine Arts or Antiques, Furnishings + Decorative Arts! In the first session, James Jackson from Jackson’s Auctions will address those interested in the basics of general appraisals and estate liquidation in today’s market. The second session features our experienced instructor Mickey Logan and his student Carol Matesic, who will discuss their personal challenges with identifying comparables for unique items. Concluding the session, Carol Meyers Madden, writer and expert for EstateSalesNews.com, will share her knowledge on expanding your business through estate sales.

Enjoying education at Assets 2016

If you’re currently working with estates or considering this “Third Track” for the first time, be sure to consider attending one or more of these informative and enriching sessions. These experts have many stories to share and answers for your questions! See you there!

Elise Waters Olonia, ISA AM

Conference Chairperson

Constructing Relationships at Assets 2017

Maureen S. Winer, ISA CAPP
Annual Meeting Committee Member

Since I became a member of ISA, I’ve never missed an ISA conference or left one early. Why would I miss learning and relaxing with my friends and colleagues from every part of the appraising world?

From the first day of Assets 2017 to the last, I am planning on taking advantage of everything the conference has to offer, including the outstanding social and networking events we have scheduled. If you haven’t already, register for the conference and special events, and view the full program.

Assets 2017 starts off with two specialty tours taking place all day on Friday, one focused on Fine Arts and the other on Antiques, Furnishings + Decorative Arts. You will have to choose one or the other, but luckily we have blog posts (linked above) from myself and Irene Szylinger with details about each of the tours.

After the tours end, we'll enjoy a opening reception back at the Palmer House Hilton, and directly after that, a New Attendees Reception to welcome everyone experiencing Assets for the first time.

Both specialty tours will visit
the Art Institute of Chicago.

Along with all of the wonderful educational opportunities on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we have many opportunities during the day and afterward to connect with your fellow appraisers. Sunday offers a Networking Lunch and Learn, which gives us the opportunity to get to know ISA sponsors, Affinity Business Partners, and committee leaders. At the end of the day, we will gather on the sixth floor foyer for a silent auction benefiting the Foundation for Appraisal Education (FAE), which will raise funds for ISA members and increased educational opportunities.

On Monday, the day begins with a CAPP Appreciation Coffee event – I’ve worked hard to achieve my designation, and I will be enjoying refreshments and mingling with others who have done the same.

We have so many extraordinary and dedicated volunteers, from our Board President to those who serve on local and national boards and committees, as instructors, and supporters of ISA, and they deserve our thanks and recognition, so I never miss the Awards luncheon and the chance to thank them.

And don’t forget – Chicago has great shopping, entertainment and sightseeing. See you at Assets!

Maureen S. Winer, ISA CAPP