Transcript of: Muse Me: Making “Old Art” Cool | Heather Gokhman
Alan Olsen: Can you tell us a little about your background?
Heather Gokhman: I started my art journey at Montgomery gallery in San Francisco where I worked with Peter Fairbanks- who has an amazing mind in the
art world. From there I studied at Sotheby’s Institute. I got a master’s in art business and did a variety of things after that and ended up as a fine art appraiser in Orange County.
Alan Olsen: In the world of art what are the trends that we need to be aware of today?
Heather Gokhman: Probably the biggest trend is people trying to figure out ways to engage younger people from diverse backgrounds. The art world is thought of as old and a little bit stodgy and set in its ways and that’s translated to the Art Museums unfortunately and really no matter what they’ve tried between audio tours and trying to make things more accessible- digitizing the works- it’s still thought of as old and inaccessible and only for people who have background knowledge who are our historians & academics. There’s a trend right now of tech companies & younger people really trying to make the art a little bit more accessible by digitizing collections, making it available to anybody who’s has an interest.
Alan Olsen: Now person having a painting sitting on their wall they may not have any idea of value, so do they call you up and say Heather is this worth anything?
Heather Gokhman: Yeah, I get a lot of calls from people who for example, found peace in their grandmother’s garage and they think it’s very valuable because it looks old and looks like it should be worth a lot most of the time it’s unfortunately not, but you know sometimes there are those rare gems.
Alan Olsen: So when a person’s assessing the value and want an appraisal,how do you know where there’s value?
Heather Gokhman: I’m not an art authenticator, I’m an art appraiser so I can’t authenticate something, so if somebody comes to me and says you know this is some old Picasso that nobody knows about, value it for me. I need to make certain of the authenticity so I would need to call an authenticator to do that, but when you’re talking about the people on Antiques Roadshow, my old boss Peter Fairbanks being one of them, he has years and years and years of that background knowledge to be able to look at something and find that diamond that nobody knows is actually there. For me, all the work that I appraise usually comes with authenticity papers or has provenance where I can you know ascertain that it is what it is. So usually those people have a general idea that it’s worth something to begin with.
Alan Olsen: Now you have another business that you’re also involved with the museums, can you go into that?
Heather Gokhman: It’s called Muse Me and what we’re doing is we’re trying to change the museum experience from something that’s boring and old and academic to something that’s fun and exciting and new by offering geo-located tours through museums with themes of interest to people of younger generations with diverse backgrounds. What I really want to do is show people that old art is just as cool as new art. I like to say that Michelangelo was the original graffiti artist tagging the Sistine Chapel ceiling since the age since the 1500’s, so that’s really what we’re doing.
Alan Olsen: How do they find Muse Me?
Heather Gokhman: You can find it at GetMuseMe.com. Soon you’ll be able to download it from the App Store it’ll be called Muse Me, but for now for the time being you can check our website for some examples of prototype tours that we’re doing.
Alan Olsen: And a person needing an art appraisal, how would they go about contacting you.
Edited for Concision
We hope you enjoyed this interview; “Muse Me: Making “Old Art” Cool | Heather Gokhman”.
To receive our free newsletter, contact us here.
Subscribe our YouTube Channel for more updates.
This transcript was generated by software and may not accurately reflect exactly what was said.
Alan Olsen, is the Host of the American Dreams Show and the Managing Partner of GROCO.com. GROCO is a premier family office and tax advisory firm located in the San Francisco Bay area serving clients all over the world.
Alan L. Olsen, CPA, Wikipedia Bio
GROCO.com is a proud sponsor of The American Dreams Show.
The American Dreams show was the brainchild of Alan Olsen, CPA, MBA. It was originally created to fill a specific need; often inexperienced entrepreneurs lacked basic information about raising capital and how to successfully start a business.
Alan sincerely wanted to respond to the many requests from aspiring entrepreneurs asking for the information and introductions they needed. But he had to find a way to help in which his venture capital clients and friends would not mind.
The American Dreams show became the solution, first as a radio show and now with YouTube videos as well. Always respectful of interview guest’s time, he’s able to give access to individuals information and inspiration previously inaccessible to the first-time entrepreneurs who need it most.
They can listen to venture capitalists and successful business people explain first-hand, how they got to where they are, how to start a company, how to overcome challenges, how they see the future evolving, opportunities, work-life balance and so much more.
American Dreams discusses many topics from some of the world’s most successful individuals about their secrets to life’s success. Topics from guest have included:
Creating purpose in life / Building a foundation for their life / Solving problems / Finding fulfillment through philanthropy and service / Becoming self-reliant / Enhancing effective leadership / Balancing family and work…
MyPaths.com (Also sponsored by GROCO) provides free access to content and world-class entrepreneurs, influencers and thought leaders’ personal success stories. To help you find your path in life to true, sustainable success & happiness. I’s mission statement:
In an increasingly complex and difficult world, we hope to help you find your personal path in life and build a strong foundation by learning how others found success and happiness. True and sustainable success and happiness are different for each one of us but possible, often despite significant challenges.
Our mission at MyPaths.com is to provide resources and firsthand accounts of how others found their paths in life, so you can do the same.
