Becoming an Art Appraiser, Pt. 1

The author preparing to submit her Ph.D. dissertation

Twenty-five years ago, I was a newly minted Ph.D. in Chinese Art and Archaeology from New York University, Institute of Fine Arts. It had been a long road and I loved every minute of it.

Researching and writing my dissertation on an elaborately carved Han Dynasty (2nd century CE) stone tomb was the highlight of my graduate school years, and included an academic year at Shandong University in Ji’nan, China with field trips to archaeological sites in Shandong and nearby provinces where such tombs were found.

The author standing in front of a 2nd century shrine in China

The keeper of the Chinese carved stone shrine, holding his grandson, points at the shrine's inscription

I subsequently had a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in Visual Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. where I began writing my dissertation. I was also pregnant with my first child, so in a sense I was gestating two babies. A couple of years later, I had a toddler and a Ph.D. and found myself living in San Diego, now pregnant with my second child. As anyone with children knows, the best laid plans inevitably change once you become a parent. After stints teaching at UCLA and UCSD as well a curatorial work at museums in Orange County and San Diego, I began to reconsider my career goals. I loved San Diego and didn’t want to move for a job. I also wanted a flexible work schedule so I could have enough time with my young children. How could I use my analytical, research and writing skills and also get paid well? As I cast about for options, I stumbled upon the idea of becoming an appraiser, a profession that I was barely aware of, much less had ever considered. The more I looked into the appraisal profession, the more I realized how much overlap there was with my academic training: specialized knowledge and connoisseurship, attention to detail, excellent research, writing and communication skills. To become an accredited appraiser at the American Society of Appraisers required more study but after going through the four courses and taking the USPAP exam, I could start working right away and begin building the hours necessary to become accredited. I decided to jump in.