The Museum of the Gulf Coast invites the public to Love It or Lose It, a special collectors event held in association with the temporary exhibition Everyone Needs a Hobby: Collectors & Collectingon Saturday, May 6.

Whether it’s a rare antique, a precious heirloom or a family photograph, Love It or Lose It will provide the everyday collector with the information to properly identify and care for their treasures.

The event will include both morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session will feature a conservation workshop given by Museum of the Gulf Coast curator Elizabeth French. From10 a.m. to noon this workshop will share tips on how to properly care for and preserve objects including photographs and documents, textiles, silver, etc. A fee of $25 will cover workshop instruction, hands-on demonstrations, a copy of “Caring for Your Family Treasures,” lunch and a tour of Everyone Needs a Hobby.

The afternoon session will begin at 2 p.m. with a free guest presentation on antiques and residential contents given by Certified Appraiser B.J. Naranjo-Smith.

Since 1989, Naranjo-Smith has been the owner of Antique & Almost, a specialty consignment shop featuring antiques and fine 20th Century furnishings and decorative accessories in Abilene. In 1994, she was designated as a specialist in appreciable residential contents with advanced studies, specializing in 20th Century furnishings and decorative accessories. In 2005, Naranjo-Smith was awarded the Certified Appraiser of Personal Property designation. One of 10 certified appraisers in the state of Texas and one of 118 nationwide, Naranjo-Smith’s expertise is the appraisal of antiques and residential contents including new furniture, paintings, prints, rugs, china, crystal and silver.

The free presentation will be followed by object appraisals given by Naranjo-Smith. Appraisals will be $10 each or $25 for three objects with a limit of three objects per person. To receive registration information and reserve a space at either the morning or afternoon sessions, call 982-7000. For more information, visit www.museumofthegulfcoast.org. The Museum is at 700 Procter Street in downtown Port Arthur.