CHICAGO – Director of Education for the International Society of Appraisers Leon Castner, ISA CAPP has announced a full and challenging fall schedule of courses for ISA member appraisers as well as non-members. Following the successful Assets 2010 Annual Conference in Toronto, the ISA continues to focus on its primary mission of education for its members.
The fall schedule begins with two classes scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 3 at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Chicago. The course offerings are Appraisal of Fine Arts, with instructors Richard Casagrande, ISA CAPP and Cathy Peters, ISA CAPP; and Appraisal of Antiques & Residential Contents, with instructors David Mapes, ISA CAPP and Karen Rabe, ISA CAPP. All are veteran ISA instructors. Both courses are new versions of the course and include several new topics. Pre-course reading and a written assignment are required for both courses.
The Fine Arts course emphasizes the primary categories of fine art frequently encountered by appraisers and dealers: paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photography, animation art, Russian icons and Spanish Colonial art. Major areas of focus include art history, identifying and researching fine art works, properly describing art works and a field trip to a local Museum such as the Art Institute of Chicago.
The Antiques & Residential Contents course provides information necessary to properly identify and value items falling into the broad category of antiques and residential contents. The focus is on construction and manufacturing, and discerning the difference between “good,” “better” and “best” quality. Course sections include furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, toys and dolls, and vintage fashions as well as general household contents and includes a trip to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.
Enrollment for each course for ISA members is $1,200. Non-members are welcome to register for $1,470.
Those courses are followed in Naperville, Ill. (metro Chicago) on Oct. 4-5 by the Requalification Course, required every five years for members. It is also offered as a Distant Education course if attendance onsite is not possible. Castner is the instructor for this course, which is essential in maintaining knowledge of current ISA standards, particularly in appraisal methodology, industry regulations and report writing. This course is open only to those who have completed the ISA Core Course or who are bridging to ISA from other organizations. Enrollment is $625 with an early enrollment discount. See the Web site for details of the Distant Education version of this course.
The 15-hour National USPAP course follows on Oct. 7-8 in Naperville. This course is intended to fulfill the National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice requirement for credentialed membership levels within a professional property appraisal organization. The course instructor will be Roger Durkin, a personal property attorney. Enrollment is $300 for members, $450 for non-members.
The final course of the year is the Core Course. The Core Course is the “nuts and bolts” approach to personal property appraising in all disciplines and is the starting point for anyone interested in becoming a personal property appraiser. The Course is an action packed seven-day marathon, held in Naperville in conjunction with Northern Illinois University, that includes hands on experience outside the classroom. The course includes everything a prospective appraiser needs in order to begin a new career including practice appraisals and written appraisals. Class activities include inventorying property, using the computer for research on Internet sites and finding comparable sales, and will include examples of good and bad appraisals. Enrollment is $1,150 for members and $1500 for non-members.
Castner’s newest expansion of the education program is the presentation of several one-hour Webinars each month. The subject rotates between specialty topics and methodology subjects, with some free informational versions included. Registration is open to anyone, and ISA membership is not required. Registration details are available on the ISA Web site.
For information about any of the professional education opportunities offered by the ISA visit their Web site at http://www.isa-appraisers.org, call Michelle Stearns at 312-981-6778, email isa@isa-appraisers.org or write to: ISA, 737 North Michigan Ave., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60611.
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