Multicultural Fiesta showcases 30 cultures on the Gold Coast

ABOUT 30 cultural groups will be showcased with spectacular dancing, costumes and artwork at the inaugural Multicultural Fiesta in The Hellenic Function Centre on August 27.

The lively event by Gold Coast Multicultural Arts (GC MAGIC) will showcase a wealth of local cultural diversity with performers coming from the likes of Indonesia, Latin America, Cook Islands, Mongolia, Persia, Uzbekistan and Thailand.

Director Nasrin Vaziri, who co-founded GC MAGIC as a community arts and cultural group in 2000, said this Fiesta offered an initiative to celebrate local cultural diversity on the Gold Coast and was hoped to be an annual event. The new features of the event are: dancing and tasting multicultural refreshments.

It follows a photography shoot or digital representation of the multicultural fiesta, which happened at Robina Community Centre on July 23.

“You will be enthralled and amazed by the showcase of dances, musical performances and cultural costumes from different groups on show unlike any you have seen before. You will have the chance to experience the unique and distinctive artwork and craft from local artists on display and engage in conversations with the artists about their work.”

The fiesta celebrates the Gold Coast's large and unique culturally diverse population and will help to create harmony and understanding among different cultures.

Audience participation will be invited to join in some of the dances and guests will be able to meet some of the artists and enjoy a unique international afternoon tea.

“Knowing people from cultural backgrounds helps with harmony and unity of society and will help add to a more peaceful community,” Mrs Vaziri said.

“Invite your family and friends to an exceptional afternoon of festivities that will delight your senses and discover the hidden cultural gems of our city.”

This project has been partly funded by the Gold Coast City Council and Multicultural Affairs Qld.

Tickets are $22 and group discounts are available. Proceeds from ticket sales will purely cover the costs of the non-profit event.

For more details, call Nasrin on 0434 932 537 or visit the Facebook page Gold Coast Multicultural Arts.

Ahlers and Ogletrees Huge Online Only Fine Estates and Collections Auction Aug 25 to 27 has 1289 Lots

Original oil paintings by Igor Tulpanov (Russian-American, b. 1939), Jean Baptiste Van Loo (French, 1684-1745) and Eastman Johnson (American, 1824-1906) are a few of the expected top lots in Ahlers & Ogletree’s three-day, online-only Fine Estates & Collections auction planned for the weekend of August 25th-27th starting at 10 am Eastern time all three days.

Session 1, on Thursday, August 25th, will feature 362 lots of Asian and ethnographic arts. Session 2, the following day, will contain 396 lots of Mid-Century Modern and modern art and design, jewelry and silver. The final session, on Saturday, August 27th, will have 529 lots of period antiques and fine art, making for a three-day event bursting with a total of 1,289 lots.

The large oil on canvas by Igor Tulpanov, 36 inches by 59 ½ inches (less frame), is a colorful surrealist work titled Samurai (est. $35,000-$55,000). It’s one of Tulpanov’s most important paintings and is signed and dated (‘96’). It depicts chess boards, a ghost-like figure, a rolling hill of sleeping people and a red Samurai. The Russian-born Tulpanov makes his home in Florida.

The oil on canvas portrait painting by Jean Baptiste Van Loo is an 18th century three-quarter length painting of the actress and playwright Madame Marie Justine Benoit Duronceray Favart (French, 1727-1772), shown in a blue dress with jewels, against a red draped background (est. $15,000-$25,000). The apparently unsigned work is 37 ¼ inches by 31 ¾ inches (less frame).

The oil on board depiction of an Old Man Reading by Eastman Johnson depicts a gentleman with white hair reading a book on a table in a darkened interior, initial signed (“E.J.”) lower left, with two paper labels on verso, possibly in Johnson’s hand, and nicely housed in a 20 ¾ inch by 27 inch frame (est. $4,000-$6,000). The work is listed in the Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné.

The Session 1 Asian offerings will be led by a Chinese root wood and dream stone parlor set, comprising two gnarled root wood arm chairs, each having a round marble dream stone centered in the back, with a conforming rectangular cocktail table (est. $2,000-$4,000).

A pair of Chinese blue and white vases with stands, having short necks with lotus scrollwork above square section tapering bodies decorated with flowers, the underside with a blue Kangxi artemisia leaf mark, possibly period, should finish at $1,500-$3,000.

A Korean Chaekgeori 8-panel floor screen, ink and gouache on paper with silk borders, depicting a scholar's bookshelf with vases, chimes, stone chops, calligraphy brushes, a toad and flowers, each panel 70 inches by 16 ½ inches wide, should reach $1,000-$2,000.

Session 2 top lots will be dominated by intriguing artworks, highlighted by a silkscreen behind float glass by Gerhard Richter (German, born 1932), titled Schwarz - Rot - Gold IV (2015), signed and numbered (“89/100”), 15.375 inches square (est. $8,000-$16,000).

A 1969 zinc etching on paper artist proof by Charles White (American 1918-1979), titled Sara at lower left, signed and dated at lower right, having a Forum Gallery (N.Y.) label on verso, 11 ½ inches by 22 ¼ inches (less frame) is expected to sell for $4,000-$8,000.

An artist proof lithograph in colors by Rufino Tamayo (Mexican, 1899-1991), titled Sandias (Watermelons), circa 1969, artist signed lower right, from edition of 100 (artist proof aside), 28 ½ inches by 21 inches (minus frame), has an estimate of $2,000-$4,000.

A mixed media on shirt board by Robert Rauschenberg (American 1925-2008), titled 3 Shirt Boards (1991), from the artist’s 'Shirt Boards, Morocco, Italy ’52 Portfolio', pencil signed and editioned 17/65, 23 ½ inches by 28 inches (sight) should hit $2,000-$4,000.

Session 3 will feature artworks, but other items, too, such as a bronze and marble bank table acquired by Amadeo P. Giannini, president of the Bank of Italy (now known as Bank of America). The table resided in the lobby of The Bank of Italy in San Francisco for years. It’s 69 ¾ inches wide by 39 ¾ inches deep and should reach $8,000-$12,000.

A Civil War military commission on velum, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, appointing William H. Walcott (American 1828/1830-1901), "First Lieutenant in the 17th Regiment of Infantry" on Aug. 19, 1861 framed, carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.

An oil on Masonite board by Gifford Beal (1879-1956), undated, titled Summer Night, depicting Central Park at night with a horse drawn hack carriage and two figures, signed lower right and signed and titled on verso, framed, is expected to rise to $4,000-$6,000.

An 18th century oil on canvas bust-length portrait of a noble lady with jewels, wearing a yellow brocade dress with a blue cloak, from the Circle of Nicolas de Largilliere (French, 1656-1746), untitled, signed "JM Nattier" (likely later), should command $3,000-$5,000.

Internet bidding will be available on Ahlers & Ogletree’s Auction Mobility bidding platform, bid.AandOAuctions.com, as well as LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be taken. Live, in-person previews will be held August 22nd-24th, from 10-5 all three days, in the Ahlers & Ogletree showroom, located at 700 Miami Circle in Atlanta.

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery and the three-session Fine Estates & Collections auction planned for August 25th-27th, or to join their email list for information on upcoming sales, please visit www.aandoauctions.com. Updates are posted often. You can also follow Ahlers & Ogletree through social media on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Items Signed by Many of Historys Brightest Stars will be Sold Online Aug 17 by University Archives

Rare items signed by George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, George Armstrong Custer and many more of history’s brightest stars are just a few of the highlights in University Archives’ next big online-only auction, slated for Wednesday, August 17th, by University Archives, starting at 10:30 am EDT.

The Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction features historical material from multiple collecting categories. All 537 lots are up for viewing and bidding now (on the University Archives website: www.UniversityArchives.com), plus LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will be taken, but there’s no live gallery bidding.

“At 537 lots, this sale is our largest ever, eclipsing the previous company record-holder, our 534-lot auction held January 6th,” said John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. “The sale boasts a spectacular variety of items representing the best of U.S. Presidential, Early American and the Civil War/Western collecting categories, plus music, sports, art and literature.”

The list of major categories is extensive, to include Presidential (Washington to Obama); Early American (Franklin, John Hancock, Benedict Arnold, Marquis de Lafayette, Declaration signers, Daniel Boone, others); and Civil War/Western (Gen. Custer, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Joseph E. Johnston, John S. Mosby, Jefferson Davis, Clara Barton, Philip Sheridan, others).

Other categories include Music (Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Monkees, Tupac Shakur, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, others); Entertainment (Marilyn Monroe, Harry Houdini, Walt Disney, others); Sports (Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, others); and Civil Rights (John Brown, Muhammad Ali, Alex Haley, Rosa Parks, others).

Still other categories include Art (Warhol, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Rockwell, Sendak, Ansel Adams, others); Literature (Hemingway, Twain, Kerouac, Steinbeck, Shakespeare, Helen Keller, Margaret Mitchell, others); Science (Darwin, Edison, Freud, Jung, Feynman, others); World Leaders (Churchill, Lenin, David Ben-Gurion, Castro, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ho Chi Minh, etc.); and Aviation & Space (Lindbergh, Von Braun, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Shepard, etc.).

One of the earliest documents signed in George Washington’s hand (in 1752, the same year he inherited Mt. Vernon in Virginia, when he was just 21 years of age), a two-page front-and-verso survey of a 346-acre tract of land in Augusta County, should bring $20,000-$24,000. Washington had just returned from Barbados with his brother, where he’d contracted a mild case of smallpox.

A pair of items relating to John F. Kennedy’s political aspirations in the late 1950s will be sold as one lot (est. $15,000-$17,000). The first item is a signed personal check reimbursing travel expenses; the other is an accompanying typed letter, signed by JFK in the spring of 1956. Both are slabbed and authenticated by Beckett Authentication Services. Kennedy was a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts at the time, angling for the 1956 Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination.

A large pay receipt signed by legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone, sometime during his service as a delegate of the Virginia General Assembly (circa 1781-1791) is expected to bring $12,000-$14,000. The document highlights one of Boone’s often overlooked roles as a legislator. In 1781, Boone represented Fayette County, now in Kentucky but then part of Virginia, and was kidnapped in a British cavalry raid led by Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton’s targets were Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson and more high-profile Virginia lawmakers, but he settled for Boone and six other legislators.

Benjamin Franklin engrossed and signed a receipt in 1756 for his Pennsylvania Gazette, the Philadelphia newspaper he had established in the late 1720s. Franklin collaborated with a Scottish printer named David Hall for 18 years, during which the Pennsylvania Gazette became politically aligned with the Patriot cause. The signed receipt should finish at $9,000-$10,000.

Lot 100 is an engraving of The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation Before the Cabinet, after Francis Bicknell Carpenter’s original oil on canvas. It is displayed above the assembled signatures of all eight figures depicted, including Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, Edwin M. Stanton and Salmon P. Chase, and has a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$10,000.

Lot 369, a 3pp autograph letter signed by George A. Custer, has an interesting connection to the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn in that its author and its recipient, George W. Yates, were both 7th Cavalry officers killed there. Custer’s lengthy signed letter was written at Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory in June 1871. In it, he advises Yates to acquire well-bred Kentucky horses earmarked for cavalry use at reasonable prices (est. $9,000-$10,000).

Jefferson Davis, exiled in Canada in April 1868, wrote a letter signed to fellow Confederate John Taylor Wood about his ongoing federal prosecution case (not resolved until Grant’s Christmas Day amnesty of that year), and about the economic distress of black freedmen that he had witnessed during a recent trip to the Deep South. The letter, in which Davis justifies attitudes that he held towards blacks prior to the Civil War, is expected to garner $6,000-$7,000.

Lot 259 is a promissory note inscribed with over 25 words and signed by Benedict Arnold in 1771, four years before the Revolutionary War and nine years before his defection to the British side. The receipt was for building supplies, boards and “parcell staves” and was probably penned in New Haven, Conn., where Arnold had lived as a prosperous merchant (est. $4,500-$5,500).

A two-page letter written and twice signed by JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (as “Lee”), dated Dec. 13, 1961 and sent to his mother from Minsk (today the capital of Belarus), saying, “if we finally get back to the states…maybe we’ll…settle in Texas”, should command $6,000-$7,000.

A first-edition copy of The Babe Ruth Story (E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1948), written by Ruth (as told to Bob Considine) and signed on the half-title page by the New York Yankee great himself (as “Babe Ruth” in blue ink) just months before his death, carries an estimate of $6,000-$7,000.

A copy of the Bob Dylan double-album Blonde on Blonde, circa 1966, signed by Dylan (as “Bob Dylan”), with a certificate of authenticity from Dylan’s manager, Jeff Rosen, from the stock of the two gentlemen, 12 ¼ inches square, in near-fine condition, is expected to hit $4,500-$5,500.

Though they were only married for 9 months, their romance was legendary. Two checks – one signed by Marilyn Monroe, dated Jan. 10, 1953, made out to Harriet Beal for $50.00; and the other signed by Joe DiMaggio, dated Jan. 7, 1980, made out to the Presidio Golf Club for $110.25; both in a wood frame with an identifying plaque, should reach $4,000-$5,000.

For more information about University Archives and the Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction slated for Wednesday, August 17th at 10:30 am EDT, visit www.universityarchives.com.

Safer Places Inc Announces Fingerprinting Service for State Mandated Cases

Lakeville, MA, July 27, 2022 -- Safer Places Inc., a firm providing pre-employment screening, tenant screening and security consulting, announced the addition of fingerprinting services as a subcontractor to IdentoGO. IdentoGO is a subsidiary of Idemia, the global leader in trusted identities. IdentoGO provides a wide range of identity-related services with its primary service being the secure capture and transmission of electronic fingerprints for employment, certification, licensing and other verification purposes.

“We’re delighted to partner with IndentoGO to offer fingerprinting services to its Southeastern Massachusetts clients,” said David Sawyer, president of Safer Places, Inc. “With our new, convenient location at 10 Main Street in Lakeville, Massachusetts, individuals who need to be finger-printed as mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts now have an additional place to go with easy access from Route 495.”

Safer Places is located on Route 105 in Lakeville, less than one minute from Interstate 495.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts can require individuals to be fingerprinted for any number of reasons. Public sector jobs (e.g. a public school teacher), adoption, birth certification, and more.

“If you need to be fingerprinted, as mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you simply go to the IdentoGO website, pop in your zip code or city and you will find a location near you,” said Sawyer. “For those in our neck of the woods—whether you live or work nearby—you will receive our information to book your appointment.”

You can visit the IdentoGO website at https://www.identogo.com/

In addition to providing fingerprinting services for IdentoGO, Safer Places is a full service screening, testing, and consulting organization whose mission is to provide companies with the specific products and services that best their needs for background screening, drug testing, and security consulting.

Additionally, Safer Places offers social media monitoring services so employers can better protect themselves from employees with questionable social media practices.

According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 70 percent of all employers use social media to screen their candidates. Additionally, of those employers, more than 50 percent said they found something that made the employer not hire the candidate (other studies on this topic put this percentage closer to 69 percent).

Safer Places, Inc. has also undertaken a number of educational initiatives for the public, including a monthly videocast called SAFERupdates. SAFERupdates provides ongoing information for those looking to learn more about background verifications, drug testing and other related topics in a series of short, live videocasts, recordings of which can be found on Safer Places, Inc.’s YouTube channel.

For more information on Safer Places, Inc. and its services, visit www.saferplacesinc.com or call 508-947-0600.

An Outstanding collection of Antique Moser Glass will be Sold Online July 30th by Neue Auctions

The outstanding single-owner collection of diversified Moser glass from Carol and Leslie Gould will be sold online, without reserves, on Saturday, July 30th, starting at 10 am Eastern time, by Neue Auctions. The collection spans Moser output from the late 19th to the early 20th century, including many fine and rare examples that will be desirable to collectors.

“Carol and Leslie Gould lived and worked in New York City when they met, she as an insurance executive and he a piano tuner and entrepreneur,” said Bridget McWilliams of Neue Auctions. “He had come to tune her baby grand piano. They married soon after meeting and learning they had a shared love of pianos, antiques and rescue pets, then bought a horse ranch in New Jersey.”

Over the years, the couple came to know all of the top glass dealers as their collection grew. And it wasn’t limited to just Moser; they also acquired other glass names as well, including Libbey Nash, Tiffany, Steuben, Charles Lotton and other contemporary makers. Upon Leslie’s death, Carol retired to Cleveland, to be nearer to her family. Now, her entire collection will be offered.

A strong candidate for top lot of the auction is the circa 1930 Moser cranberry glass enameled lamp with domed shade enameled in gilding and applied with sculpted enamel flowers, raised on a baluster form glass base with sculpted enamel floral wreaths and swags, and art nouveau style cast white metal fittings, 25 inches tall (est. $4,000-$6,000).

A circa 1890-1900 Moser vase engraved with a tropical landscape of palm trees centered by a high relief sculpted enamel figure of a striding tiger and a parrot in flight above, 13 inches tall, should reach $1,200-$1,800; while a gorgeous 16 ½ inch tall vase of bulbous cylindrical form in clear glass, engraved with a floral design and marquetry inset with a marquetry carved flower on a slender stem, carries a pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$2,000.

A set of six Moser enameled glass wines with applied decoration in ruby glass, with faceted bowls on shaped stems and applied with relief molded grapes and leaves on the vine, each one 6 ¼ inches tall, should bring $2,000-$4,000. Also, a group of three Moser (or Bohemian) wine stems – a Moser fern leaf pattern goblet, an oak leaf pattern and a third decorated with enamel and gilded floral scrolls – is expected to realize $200-$400.

A circa 1890 Moser gilded and enameled pitcher in pale olive-green glass, 10 ¾ inches tall, with a dramatic applied scroll handle in the form of a salamander or lizard and a later base similar in pattern but not original to the piece, should hit $800-$1,200. Also, a pair of Moser shaped tumblers with applied acorns – an example of classic Moser form 1890s “juice glasses” – each tumbler 3 ½ inches in height, is expected to gavel for $400-$600.

A Moser Karlsbader Secession decanter and two wines, limited production pieces in a pattern that was first exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, the decanter 17 inches tall with a stopper, the wines 9 ¾ inches, should make $1,000-$1,200. Also, an 1880s Moser enameled glass strawberry stand in pale blue translucent glass molded in the form of a scallop shell and fitted with a cream jug and covered sugar dish, 11 inches tall, has an estimate of $800-$1,200.

A Moser acid etched Animor vase, designed by Rudolf Wels in 1926, cameo carved and gilded with a mother and baby elephant in an African landscape under palm trees and birds in flight, 8 inches tall, should command $500-$800; while a circa 1890s enameled glass vase, 9 ½ inches tall, cylindrical form on a circular foot, applied with a lizard (or salamander) in red and blue and gilding with white enamel dots, the body enameled with a floral scroll, should rise to $300-$500.

A few pieces of contemporary glass in the Gould collection not by Moser include the following:

- A Tiffany favrile glass finger bowl and underplate, the ruffled rim bowl and conforming underplate both signed ‘L.C.T.’ and numbered, with partial paper labels (est. $400-$700)

- A Charles Lotton (American, b. 1935) iridescent glass vase created in 2000 of ovoid form with a flared rim, signed and dated to the base and 10 ½ inches in height (est. $200-$400)

- A set of three Libbey Nash clear and opalescent figural stem glasses, comprising a pair of kangaroo wine stems and a hare sorbet dish, each piece signed “Libbey” (est. $150-$300)

- A Steuben Aurene vase, waisted form, with a flared rim in gold Aurene glass and signed “Aurene” to the base, 6 inches in height and in very good condition (est. $100-$200)

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Bidsquare.com.

Moser (previously Ludwig Moser & Sons) is a luxury glass manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. The company is known for its stemware, decorative glassware (such as vases, ashtrays and candlesticks), glass gifts and various art engravings. Moser is one of the most collected of 20th century decorative glass and has been used everywhere from palaces to local restaurants.

From its beginnings in 1857, as a polishing and glass engraving workshop, Moser developed into a lead-free glass manufacturer that’s lasted through the 20th century up until the present day. It is considered to be the most luxurious Czech brand, as well as one of the world's most famous brands of luxury crystal. Each and every piece of glass that is made by Moser is made by hand.