David Ben struck the word impossible from his vocabulary. As a world-renowned magician, David has to make problems disappear. Problem solving, he believes, is everyone’s core business. Unfortunately, few people have been taught how to solve problems in an effective and efficient manner. David demystifies the problem-solving process by taking his audience behind the scenes of the world of magic and revealing the tricks of the trade – the methodology magicians, card cheats and psychics use to perform the impossible. Most of all, David demonstrates the true meaning of being proactive. As a magician, David has to make miracles happen. By performing magic and then explaining how the magic is created, people learn that success in magic and business is the result of the cumulative effect of many apparently inconsequential details most people take for granted. It is a unique approach to learning a few new tricks for the trade presented by a unique individual – David Ben.

David Ben is unlike any magician you have seen before. He has a BA from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of Western Ontario, and an LLM in tax, intellectual property and international finance from The London School of Economics. As a former tax lawyer, he cannot help but think of how his skill as a magician relates to the creative problem-solving and sales strategies required to be successful in business. Recognized as one of the premier magicians in the world, Ben was the sole protégé of Ross Bertram – one of the great sleight of hand artists of the twentieth century. He is a member of London’s prestigious Magic Circle and has performed throughout the United States, Canada, in Mexico, England, France and Japan.

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Designed as an introduction to understanding hallmarks, this session covers assaying and hallmarking through a dynamic visual presentation of actual hallmark images and graphics. This session will explain the various methodologies used by hallmarking countries and demonstrate all the important information that hallmarks can provide. It is recommended that this session be attended by anyone unfamiliar with relevant vocabulary and technical terminology of hallmarking before attending the second session Advanced Hallmarks – France and Russia.

Historian, antiquarian, numismatist, educator and goldsmith, Bill Whetstone has been a collector and dealer of ancient coins and precious metal objet d'art for over 40 years. Bill is a former regional councilor, director, and two term past president of the International Society of Appraisers. He has lectured widely on jewellery, antiques and fine arts for over 35 years in both the USA and Canada.

Educator, appraiser, gemologist, jeweler, goldsmith, Ms. Niklewicz has been involved with jewelry for over 30 years and an independent jewelry appraiser for over 20 years. As a past GIA instructor, Ms. Niklewicz continues to present lectures on topics important to the jewelry industry, here in the US and overseas. Ms. Niklewicz is co-author with William Whetstone and Lindy Matula of the new book, World Hallmarks – Vol. I – Europe, 19th to 21st Centuries.

This presentation will discuss the mandate of the new Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre, which is dedicated to scholarly research and the exhibition of photography and related media. Designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects, the new facility opens to the public early in 2011.The presentation offers an introduction to the university’s growing fine art photography collection of ca. 3000 images and to the Black Star Collection of ca. 300,000. b/w photojournalistic prints.

Doina Popescu, who joined Ryerson University in October 2008 as the inaugural director of the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre, oversees the academic, administrative, exhibition and outreach functions for the new facility. Prior to this position, Popescu was the Deputy Director of the Goethe-Institut Toronto. For more than ten years she managed the Goethe-Institut Gallery and Kinowelt Hall, where she curated important exhibitions and installations involving renowned Canadian and international artists, architects and thinkers.

While the primary materials and components were known and made in the ancient world, the technology of the glass paperweight was discovered only in the 19th century. Using images from the Royal Ontario Museum’s important collection, attendees will learn how to identify French and American weights and view the renaissance in contemporary weights made in Canada and the United States.

Educated at the University of Toronto, Brian joined the ROM in 1976. He is one of several curators responsible for the Samuel European Galleries. He has taught decorative arts courses at various institutions, most recently at the Ontario College of Art and Design. His recent publications include High Style, Masterworks from the Bernard and Sylvia Ostry Collection and Glass Worlds, Paperweights from the ROM’s collection.

Vintage costume jewelry is enjoying an enormous rise in interest in both the private sector and museums. This session will examine this trend, as well as cover what to look for when evaluating jewelry including characteristics, recognizing fakes, condition analysis, and how to differentiate between high end and production pieces. The presentation will close with a question and answer session.

Carole Tanenbaum has been a collector of vintage costume jewelry for over 30 years. She transformed her passion into a business 20 years ago and her collection has been represented in over 40 venues worldwide. Carole has lectured in museums, and public institutions on the value, characteristics and beauty of vintage costume jewelry. She is the author of the book Fabulous Fakes – A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry, which continues to be sold at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Carole lives in Toronto, Canada with her family.

The market for Canadian Inuit art continues to be a strong and growing one, fuelled both by regular public auctions and by the growing interest of contemporary art collectors in emerging Inuit artists. It is however a very specialized field, and one which involves unique issues. This session will address the most common of these, from the difficulties in identifying artists, to the growing number of forgeries, to value anomalies specific to Inuit art.

Patricia Feheley is an art dealer and art historian specializing in the field of Canadian Inuit art. Feheley has an extensive educational and administrative background in the visual arts, coupled with a lifetime of experience with the Inuit and the Canadian Arctic. An acknowledged expert in the primary and secondary market for Inuit art, she is the owner and director of Feheley Fine Arts, a Toronto commercial art gallery specializing in early and contemporary works from the Canadian Arctic. Past President of the Art Dealers Association of Canada, Feheley also serves on many government advisory committees for the Visual Arts in Canada.

How do we identify a quilt? Quilt or Blanket? What do we look for besides function/purpose/ownership? Physical identification of quilts will be explained as well as a show of items.

Judy is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers Canadian Chapter. She is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser and a member of the Professional Association of Appraisers of Quilted Textiles. She is also a member and served on the board of directors for the Canadian Quilters’ Association.

This advanced session deals in detail with the hallmarks of France and Russia from the mid 19th century to the present. French and Russian hallmarks imply a highly prized provenance and this session will cover important nuances of origin, dating, weight and authenticity that these marks can exhibit. This lecture is a must for all those who appraise French and Russian jewellery, silver and objet d'art.

It is highly recommended that the Demystifying Hallmarks class be taken before attending this session.

As photography has quickly shifted from light sensitive films to encoded data we have all been pushed headlong into a digital world. Indeed, new technologies have not only redefined how we create, disseminate and consume images but have also changed the ways in which we see and interact with the world around us. As a mid-career photographer Robert Burley has been documenting the disappearance of traditional photography while exploring his new relationship to a changed medium in a digitally mediated world. Burley will discuss this rapid technological transition and its impact on his own practice as well as the arenas of art, information and culture.

Robert Burley is an established artist and teacher based in Toronto at Ryerson University's School of Image Arts. As an artist his work explores the relationship between nature and cities, architecture and the urban landscape. His photographs have been extensively published, exhibited and collected on an international level. Over the past year his work has been featured in exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Le Mois de la Photo a Montreal and George Eastman House and the Chicago Architectural Foundation. As a teacher Burley has participated in the development of numerous initiatives at Ryerson including a recently launched masters program in Photographic Preservation. He is currently serving as Director of the Photography Studies Program and is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.

Today, the word Victorian still conjures up images of dark and oppressive interiors. Yet in reality, it was a time of great change and numerous styles were popular simultaneously. Learn about the displays of the great exhibitions and publications such as Owen Jones’ The Grammar of Ornament and judge for yourself if Her Majesty was amused.

As a result of recent successes in International markets, the gemstone Ammolite has experienced a rapid growth in both awareness and sales. One aftereffect has been the growing demand for appraisals. This presentation will cover a brief history of Ammolite and the geological setting of the main producing mines. It will also offer a guide for the grading and valuation for the various types of this rare and beautiful Canadian gemstone.

Pierre Pare studied micropaleontology at University of Montreal before moving to Calgary to work for Esso Resources Ltd. In 1980 Pierre joined Rene Vandervelde and became a partner of Korite Minerals Ltd. Pierre was elected President in 1992, a position he has held to this day. For the past 30 years Pierre Pare has been involved in the mining, manufacturing and the marketing of the Canadian gemstone Ammolite.

Insurance underwriters such as AXA Art use appraisals primarily to evaluate risks and to settle loss in value in damage claims. In terms of risk evaluation, the appraisal may influence the type of valuation coverage offered to the client and may determine whether or not the risk is accepted. Thus understanding what an underwriter is looking for and how you can easily provide it will benefit all. This talk takes a broad look at market conditions as they influence appraisals. It discusses the valuation terms used in insurance policies, and focuses on the importance of each appraisal component for risk evaluation and claim settlement.

Vivian Ebersman is Director of Art Expertise at AXA Art Insurance Corporation. In addition to tracking the art market and procedures for the care and handling of works of art, the Art Experts work closely with the underwriters and claims managers to review and assess risks, appraisals, and values. Ms. Ebersman has written extensively about collectors, collecting and disaster preparedness for AXA Art newsletters, website and for six Art News Advertorials. She leads VIP tours for small groups at Art Basel and TEFAF. She contributed to the catalogue and the ongoing management of the AXA Art Conservation project "Ad Reinhardt Black Painting 1960-1966" in conjunction with the Guggenheim and MoMA conservation departments. The results of this project were the subject of the 2008 exhibit "Imageless" at the Guggenheim Museum.

Ann-Louise Seago is Vice President, Senior Fine Art Underwriter with AXA Art and leads the company's business efforts for its Canadian operation. Seago is a qualified ACII Chartered Insurer and active member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Inland Marine Underwriters Association (IMUA) and the National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW). Ann-Louise Seago's career spans more 15 years having worked with some of the largest museums and art collectors around the globe. With national responsibilities on behalf of AXA Art in Canada combined with her previous tenure in the US and Europe, Seago's knowledge of the global art market and the world of fine art insurance is extensive.

On an annual basis, the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CCPERB) certifies more than $150 million in personal property donated to Canadian museums. The donated items are diverse and include works of art, antiques, archival material, books, gems and jewelry. Objects valued at more than $20,000 require two monetary appraisals, creating many opportunities for appraisers on both sides of the 49th parallel. Sonia Lismer, Assistant Secretary for the Review Board will speak about Canada's journey to USPAP in developing requirements for the appraisals that accompany applications for certification of cultural property. Canadian core course instructor Kathryn Minard, ISA CAPP will clarify the CCPERB requirements through an examination of a sample appraisal. Norman Hurst, ISA CAPP from Cambridge, MA specializes in antiquities, Asian, African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, and American Indian art and artifacts and will speak about the process of collaborating with Canadian colleagues. Leon Castner, ISA CAPP and Director of Education will address the significant differences between the Canadian requirements and IRS appraisals for charitable contributions.

Norman Hurst (Hurst Gallery) has been in business for thirty years. He is best known for his expertise with Native American, African, and Oceanic art and artifacts. He has appraised a wide variety of collections in Canada, mostly on the West Coast and in Toronto. One of his bigger jobs, however, was far afield in the Canadian outback. Hurst speaks with some authority about these various assignments both for museums and other institutions. Although the preponderance of appraisal assignments continues to come from domestic assignments, Hurst continues to accept work from Canada and will do so in the foreseeable future.

Sonia Lismer is Assistant Secretary to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board and Manager of Movable Cultural Property, Department of Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for the administration of Canada's Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Ms. Lismer holds an M.A. in Art History from Oberlin College and has extensive curatorial, collections management and art market experience in museum and commercial gallery settings. She completed the ISA Course in Appraisal Studies in 2000 and was recognized for her contribution to the Canadian version of the ISA Distance Education Course in Appraisal Studies.

Kathryn Minard, ISA CAPP is a core course instructor and president of the Canadian Chapter of the ISA. She is the president of Curator Asset Management Inc. and has served as a Special Advisor to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board and consultant to Christie's Inc. on the valuation of Canadian Art.

Leon Castner is a Senior Partner of National Appraisal Consultants, a firm specializing in unique personal property appraisals and appraisal consulting, insurance coverage and claim reports & research, pretrial consultation, expert witness testimony, and IRS tax-related appraisal matters. He holds a CAPP in Appreciable Residential Contents (ISA/Indiana University) and is a Certified member of AAA (Appraisers Association of America).

Colour gemstone grading and valuation is a complex science. The diamond industry has developed exact criteria for grading and valuation. The coloured gemstone industry does not have an industry leader like DeBeers or GIA to set standards that all will follow. Coloured gemstones have complex issues that relate to rarity, treatments and enhancements that are not easy to evaluate unless you have gemmological experience. In this hands-on experience, we will guide you through the grading and valuation process using hue, tone and saturation; The Guide, a jewelry industry standard; colour quality relationship; treatment pyramid; and value equation. We will have samples of gemstones with wholesale values on display for discussion and examination.

Helmut Koenig graduated as a Gemmologist from the Canadian Gemmological Association in 1991 and has contributed his services to the CGA in various positions as Instructor, Education Director, Vice President and Conference Organizer. He is presently teaching the Preliminary year of the Professional Gemmology Program for the Canadian Gemmological Association and is teaching a new advanced course workshop “Coloured Gemstone Grading and Valuation”. Mr. Koenig has worked for Byrex Gems (a colour stone dealer in Toronto) for 14 years and was instrumental in positioning Byrex as a leader in gem sales in Canada. He has participated in the Jewellery Industry by serving on several boards and committees for the purposes of advancing education programs and consumer awareness.

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How does one value Johnny Cash’s boots, Ty Cobb’s dentures or Cher’s wigs? In this presentation about the fun and foibles of appraising and auctioning sports and entertainment memorabilia, Lee Dunbar taps into her 23 years of experience to provide valuable insights and give specific resources so that other appraisers can feel confident when presented with a piece of pop history.

For all of her life, Lee Dunbar has been surrounded by “stuff”, from her parents’ antique toys, advertising and pottery, to her nine years running Sotheby’s Collectibles Department, selling more than $75 million of memorabilia. Then there’s 14 years with the Antiques Road Show, providing more than 2,000 verbal appraisals and appearing in 45 televised segments. Now Lee runs her own appraisal business. Clients include the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ronald Reagan Museum and Library, Lloyd’s of London, Sotheby’s, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and the New York Yankees.

A 1.5 hour presentation discussing step by step methods for identifying counterfeit Rolex watches and parts, to include both a cursory inspection, as well as a detailed examination of both modern and vintage models. The latest security features will be discussed, as well as a chronological history of The Rolex Watch Company, featuring a “timeline” indicating introductions and evolutions to the Rolex line.

John E. Brozek has been collecting, appraising and authenticating Rolex watches for nearly 20 years. He is the author of The Rolex Report, a critically acclaimed reference book, and currently in its 4th edition. He is a member of the NAWCC, AWI, IWJG, NPA, WWT, BHI & IWCS, and currently resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he founded QualityTyme Rare & Fine Timepieces.

This workshop will deal with the importance of correctly identifying and describing the object to be appraised and the selected comparable items, including all distinguishing features and relevant value characteristics, in order to arrive at an accurate opinion of value. In addition, presenters will provide guidance in writing a comparison of selected comparable items with the object being appraised.

Attendees will be grouped according ISA division: Fine Art, Antiques & Residential Contents and Gems & Jewelry.

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