FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Rose Mary Gorman: (615) 744-3332, ”
Ellen Jones Pryor: (615) 243-1311, ”, ”
Frist Center Sets
Appraisal Day May 21, 2006
Five Bonhams & Butterfields experts lend
their expertise to this one-day event
NASHVILLE, TENN. – (May 1, 2006) – You never really liked that old bowl your Aunt Tennie gave you, but… be honest… didn’t you always harbor the hope that it might be worth hundreds….NO!… thousands of dollars? After all, it happens on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow!
If you’ve got an attic full of family treasures and missed one of the appraisal days that have been taking place recently, bring those heirlooms to the Frist Center auditorium from Noon until 4:00 p.m. Sunday, May 21, 2006, to receive a verbal appraisal from one of five expert appraisers from Bonhams & Butterfields. Recognized today as one of the most dynamic auction houses in the world, Bonhams & Butterfields is one of the largest companies of its kind and has an incredible group of experts in virtually every auction category.
The following five appraisers will lend their expertise: San Francisco-based Gary Espinosa, a generalist with a specialty in furniture and decorative arts; San Francisco-based fine art specialist Malcolm Walker who has a particular expertise in European paintings; gem specialist Chrissy Nice, who was recruited by Bonhams New York to launch their Jewelry department; Boston-based Dana Hawkes, specialist of collectibles such as dolls, toys, music boxes, rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and more; and Middle Tennessee’s Linda Dyer, a specialist of North American Indian and Eskimo art and a regular participant in PBS’s popular Antiques Roadshow telecasts.
The cost of the verbal appraisals is $10.00 per item or $25.00 for 3 items (3 item limit per visitor). Please note: weapons, coins, stamps, arrowheads, stoneware and burial items cannot be included in this appraisal day. Official guidelines and details are listed at the Frist Center’s website: http://www.fristcenter.org.
The Frist Center’s first appraisal day is held in conjunction with Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé: Art Nouveau Silver from the Jolie and Robert Shelton Collection.
“Our current exhibition of spectacular Martelé silver, as well as exhibitions like Art of Tennessee have really piqued peoples’ interest in finding out about their own heirlooms,” said Frist Center Associate Curator Katie Delmez Welborn. “This will be great fun for us, and it wouldn’t surprise us one bit to uncover a treasure or two!”
Visitors bringing items for appraisal should enter the building only through the 9th Avenue entrance. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver at the time they pay for per-item appraisals. There will be no written appraisals, and no items may be purchased or sold on site at the Frist Center.
All items brought into the building must be easily handled by a single person. Although the Frist Center is not able to accommodate large items during this event, visitors wishing an appraisal of a large item may bring photographs for review. Three views from varying angles are preferred.
Appraisal days have become tremendously popular in recent years, due in large part to the success of the long running PBS series. HGTV has also popularized the idea of hidden treasures with its hit show Cash in the Attic.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features 30 interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Effective June 9-October 8, 2006, during The Quest for Immortality, the Frist Center will be open Saturday – Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., with extended hours on Thursdays and Fridays until 9:00 p.m. Additional information is available online at http://www.fristcenter.org. For those wishing to attend Frist Center exhibitions and activities other than The Quest for Immortality (including Frist Fridays), regular admission prices will prevail.
