2015/02 - CRS Course & Test (Dallas, TX)
Regular price $0.00Location: Dallas, TX; Class and test given at Oriental Rug Cleaning Co.
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
The Certified Rug Specialist class is a four-day, advanced rug identification seminar. Aimed at those who are already competent in basic rug ID and looking to take the next step, this class arms students with the tools to improve and expand their readily apparent rug identification skills, as well as provide them with the skills to identify those rugs with may not be so obvious.
In addition to identifying the rugs' origins, the class covers the practical uses for that knowledge, such as common pre-existing conditions, cleaning considerations common to the rug type and conversational knowledge with helps to distinguish oneself in the marketplace.
While this class is the primer for the rug identification portion of the CRS exam, it is also of value to anyone looking to improve their rug knowledge or "shake the dust" off exiting rug ID skills. Class fee includes four lunches, handouts and a copy of A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental and Specialty Rug Cleaning, Which serves as the class manual. While there are currently no specific prerequisites for this course, students must be cleared by the ARCS education committee to ensure they have the adequate background knowledge to benefit from the material presented.
The CRS class is for students with a good foundation of experience in cleaning and rug identification, the ability to readily identify commonly encountered rugs and looking for a program to take their skills to the next level. Participants must be ARCS members in good standing. No specific prerequisites are required, but all applicants for the class are encouraged to speak with the head of the Educational Committee, Robert Mann, or the class instructor, Ellen Amirkhan, for final approval.
Monday
Armen: Cleaning Chemistry 2 hours
Ellen: Machine-Made Rugs 1.5 hours
Lunch
Ellen: Review
a) History of Oriental Rugs
b) Dyes
c) What is an Oriental Rug
d) Four Categories of Oriental Rugs/Traditional Persian
e) Where Oriental Rugs Get Their Names
f) Construction
g) Knots and Grading Systems
h) End Finishes
i) Side Finishes
j) Chemical Wash
k) Design Components
h) Dating Rugs
i) Components of Identification/Technical Analysis
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs
a) Iran: Heriz, Sarouk, Kashan, Kerman, Mahal, Tabriz, Meshed, Joshagan, Serab, Bijar, silk rugs
TUESDAY
a) Finish Persian rugs from Monday
b) Six Persian single-wefted rugs: Hamadan, Malayer, Senneh, Bakhtiari, Karaja, Lillihan
c) Tribal Rugs: Baluch, Turkoman, Bakhtiari, Afshar, Shiraz
WEDNESDAY
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t
a) Afghanistan
b) China
c) India
d) Pakistan
e) Romania
f) Tibetan
g) Turkish
THURSDAY
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t (if necessary)
Caucasian and Navajo Rugs
Hands-On Technical Analysis—divide into groups
Appraisals—Power Point
FRIDAY
Review for written test
Practice rug Identification in the plant with rugs not previously seen
Mock Rug Identification test
Questions, Answers, Problems
SATURDAY
9AM-12PM
Written test
Hands-On Identification Test
Ellen Amirkhan: Ellen Amirkhan is a graduate of Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor of Science degree and Southern Methodist University with a Master of Liberal Arts degree. She is President of Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Inc., in Dallas, Texas, a business started by her grandfather in 1911 that specialized in cleaning, repairing, appraising, and selling oriental rugs.
A past president of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR) - now the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Ellen develops and teaches oriental rug schools for the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and other recognized groups across the United States and England, and is a co-developer of the Master Rug Cleaner Program.
In addition, she consults and serves as an expert witness for the legal profession. Ellen holds the designations of Certified Appraiser of Oriental Rugs from the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA) and Certified Rug Specialist (CRS) from the Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS).
Ellen's awards include the RIA Dr. Steven Spivak Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Textile Industry, The ASCR Helen Bradley Distinguished Service Award and The North Texas Chapter of the International Society of Appraisers (NTISA) Ellen Amirkhan Distinguished Service Award.
Robert Mann: Robert owns and operates Robert Mann Rugs Inc. in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1978, RMR Inc. provides cleaning and repair services to retail and wholesale clients throughout the United States, as well as outsourced restorations services provided by its sister company, ATC, in Izmir , Turkey. Robert spent for over 25 years working as a technical consultant in modern rug productions in nearly all the major rug producing countries.
Chuck Koshgarian, Koshgarian Rug CleaningEllen Amirkhan and Robert Mann are truly world class individuals who love this industry and are working hard to help others continue to grow their own passion for rugs.
Jordan King, Oriental Rug Cleaning of IndianapolisDon't miss out on this course! It will only be available every other year, you don't want to spend the next 2 years wishing you would've jumped on board sooner!
