Gold is the ultimate object of desire. Initiatives in Art and Culture announces Gold: Substance, Symbol, and Significance, a two-day conference featuring leading authorities from the worlds of mining, finance, jewelry, art, collecting, and sustainability in a multi-faceted examination of gold and its role in our culture today. The conference will take place April 8 "“ 9, 2011 at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (Fifth Ave. @ 34th Street).

The conference considers gold it in all its forms-from mineral to ingot, from currency to jewelry-and at all stages of its production and use. Expert panelists address such topics as fluctuating gold price and investment; modern mining and sustainable extraction techniques; the impact of conflict minerals legislation; collectors and collections of gold; the history and development of gold coins and jewelry; and gold in decorative art and artifacts. An evening reception at Aaron Faber Gallery and a screening of the award-winning film, "Red Gold" complement formal sessions.

Our distinguished roster of speakers and panelists includes:

Finance
Juan Carlos Artigas, World Gold Council
Doug Groh, Tocqueville Gold Fund and Asset Management
Victor van der Kwast, ABN AMRO
Humphrey Valenbreder, ABN AMRO
Joseph Zock, Tocqueville Asset Management

Sustainability
Steve D'Esposito, RESOLVE
Bonnie Gestring, Earthworks
Sheila Khama, Brand Botswana Management Organization

Mining
Ed Opitz, Kinross Gold Corporation
Jon Rudolph, Mammoth Tusk Gold
Bill Williams, Barrick Gold Corporation

Jewelry
Marilyn Cooperman, jewelry designer
Patti J. Geolat, Geolat Companies
Robert B. Headley, Jewelers of America
Adam Heyman, Oscar Heyman
Mary Lee Hu, Goldsmith
David Lamb, World Gold Council
Jack Ogden, Gemmological Society of Great Britain
John Pettersen, Tiffany & Co
Temple St. Clair, Temple St. Clair
Peter Schmid, Atelier Zobel

Art History, Numismatics, and Gold Collecting
Géza von Habsburg, art historian & author
Mary McFadden, designer and collector
Paul Inho Song, Bonhams and Butterfields

Earth Sciences
John Rakovan, Miami University, Ohio
James D. Webster, American Museum of Natural History

Additional information and a downloadable PDF are available at www.artinitiatives.com

Online registration is available at www.acteva.com/go/gold. Cost of the conference is $350.
The rate for full-time students is $150 (with current ID).

IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

About Initiatives in Art and Culture

Initiatives in Arts and Culture (IAC) is an organization committed to educating diverse audiences in the fine, decorative, and visual arts, as well as architecture. IAC's primary activities are conferences, publications, and exhibitions. These take an interdisciplinary approach, considering issues related to fabrication, connoisseurship, cultural patrimony, cultural preservation, and the future of culture. Particular areas of emphasis include American painting, the history of frames, the Arts and Crafts movement (internationally and in the United States), the art of metalworking in America, the influence of Asian cultures on American fine and decorative art, and the history and future of fashion, materials, and designs. IAC's projects have been supported by a wide array of individual, corporate and foundation funders. IAC was founded by Lisa Koenigsberg, a cultural and art historian; as director of Programs in the Arts at NYU she launched the series of conferences in 1996, which continues now under the aegis of Initiatives in Art and Culture.

OLD Initiatives in Art and Culture

OLD Initiatives in Art and Culture

Initiatives in Arts and Culture (IAC) is an organization committed to educating diverse audiences in the fine, decorative, and visual arts as well as architecture. IAC's primary activities are conferences, publications, and exhibitions. These take an interdisciplinary approach, considering issues related to fabrication, connoisseurship, sustainability (CSR), cultural patrimony and preservation, and the future of culture.