What's New and Said  The University of Tennessee-Martin Rodeo Team will hold it's annual scholarship fund raising auction on April 14, 2007, in an effort to raise need money to keep students, who are in financial jeopardy, in school. The auction will be held in conjunction with the 39th Annual College Rodeo. According to Diane Luthi, of the UTM Rodeo, there will be about 8500 spectators and 250 contestants representing 32 different colleges during the 3-day event. Donations to the scholarship auction are sought - artwork, saddles, etc. This is a worthy event, and any donation which can be auctioned for fund raising is appreciated. For more information, Luthi can be contacted at 731.881.7426. cowboyartshow.com made a donation last year, and will do so for this event.

Art Buying Wisdom from an Expert One of our favorite writers in the art field is Bernard Ewell, whom we have quoted numerous times over the year. Ewell is an accredited senior appraiser (ASA), and his column appears in Art-Talk, which can be found online. A couple of tips Bernard provides in his February column are: Look at as much material as possible, especially in high-end galleries and museums, to develop a good eye for quality Buy from reliable dealer for your collection, and from street vendors for gifts and souvenirs For an estimate of the true market value (he says that this is true, at least, in India, but it's probably a good guideline for anyplace)divide the first price quoted by 10 and negotiate accordingly. ( I found this to be true in Italy, as well, and with artists and dealers here in the States - maybe not be 10, but you get the idea - jc).