‘Fun, unique job’

PCHS grad appraises native art

  • Pendleton County High School graduate Erin Rust, left, appraised this circa-1950 Native American tempra painting by noted artist Acee Blue Eagle during a 2025 episode of “Antiques Roadshow” that was shot in Las Vegas. She told the couple, whose names were not given, that the piece would bring $2,000 to $4,000 at auction. Rust grew up in Butler and is an appraiser for Freeman’s/Hindman auction house in Cincinnati. Photo courtesy of Erin Rust.
    Pendleton County High School graduate Erin Rust, left, appraised this circa-1950 Native American tempra painting by noted artist Acee Blue Eagle during a 2025 episode of “Antiques Roadshow” that was shot in Las Vegas. She told the couple, whose names were not given, that the piece would bring $2,000 to $4,000 at auction. Rust grew up in Butler and is an appraiser for Freeman’s/Hindman auction house in Cincinnati. Photo courtesy of Erin Rust.

    By Nila Harris

     

    Native American art expert Erin Rust, a Pendleton County High School Class of 2008 graduate, recently was a featured appraiser on the PBS show “Antiques Roadshow.”

    In the episode, which aired on Jan. 5, Rust delivered an appraisal to a woman with a Knife River flint spear point. The arrowhead, according to Rust, was from 8000 B.C. at the earliest to 1200 A.D., and conservatively would fetch $2,000 to $4,000 at auction.

    This is not Rust’s first appearance on “Antiques Roadshow.”

    Rust, who works for Freeman’s Auction based in Cincinnati, has appeared on the PBS series four different times, and will be featured in additional episodes later this year.

    After PCHS, Rust graduated from Xavier University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts and a minor in history with an emphasis on native studies.

    While completing her senior seminar Rust visited Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati.

    She was so enthralled with the place that she made a note to contact Danica Farnand, the person who led the tour, after that visit.

    But as life took her to a job using her graphic arts degree, Rust did not make the call. A couple of years later, Rust happened to mention to her dad that she had not pursued that contact.

    Soon after the conversation with his daughter, Greg Rust visited Cowan’s to make some purchases and ran into Farnand. The woman mentioned that the auction house needed to hire a native arts appraiser and that the young Rust should give her a call.

    The rest, as they say, is history, and Erin Rust has been working for the company (which changed hands and is now Freeman’s/Hindman auction house) for the past 10 years.

    “It’s a fun, unique job,” Rust said.

    She travels frequently to look at collections and attend trade shows. Rust evaluates and authenticates Native Arts properties for Freeman’s, which has 16 offices across the United States. She examines items anywhere from the pre-historic to historic periods, and early 20th century to contemporary pieces.

    “I have to know a little bit about everything,” she said with a laugh. “There’s been a couple of fun things we’ve handled over the years.”

    Rust told about holding Sitting Bull’s rifle and pipe, and a 30-piece collection of historical Navajo jewelry.

    When asked if she had seen any counterfeit pieces, Rust admitted that she sees at least one fake per day. She has seen many phony arrowheads and tomahawks.

    She said that fakes can be identified by how they are made and how they feel.

    When not traveling, Rust enjoys returning to Pendleton County to ride horses on her parents’ farm. Rust is the daughter of Greg and Andrea Rust of Butler.