“Who are some of the great entertainers? What qualities do they have in common?” So began panelist Dana Conte-Hurst at the recent Virginia Docent Exchange, a biennial conference for docents serving in Virginia museums. Held at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, the tide of this year’s meeting …
One of public television’s most entertaining shows painlessly educates the American viewing public about antiques. “Antiques Roadshow” offers some tricks for combining education and entertainment that museum educators might do well to consider. During its first year, “Antiques Roadshow” traveled to 13 cities in 17 weeks and managed, by the …
“Eat your vegetables!” That battle cry resounded through our house when I was growing up, and the mealtime encounters that ensued could range from tense to all out warfare. The problem wasn’t really the vegetables, but my dear mother’s cooking. She didn’t enjoy cooking and it showed. She did little …
When I was a very little girl, the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus came to my town. I went with my family to the railroad station at the break of dawn to watch the circus train disgorge its menagerie of exotic animals. We stood with throngs of awestruck citizens …
Blockbusters — mention the very word and a universal groan can be heard throughout “docent land.” Hearts beat fast and palms grow clammy, as thoughts of learning about hundreds of unfamiliar objects in three hours race through the minds of volunteers. Well, fear no longer, for there are ways to …
An incomprehensible number of images and sounds compete for our attention everyday. From traffic signs to product labels, from freeway noises to elevator music, from television commercials to store window displays, the happenings of contemporary life constantly bombard us with stimuli. The cumulative effect of all this dissonance teaches us …