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 …
HOW do you interest a diverse audience, community, and volunteer corps in an exhibition entitled Classical Taste in America, 1800-1840? The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., successfully drew upon the theme and spirit of the Olympic Games. Following the archaeological excavation of the ancient Olympic stadium in 1878, …
Your museum is hosting a Blockbuster exhibition. Attendance numbers are more crucial than ever. There is a need to foster public awareness, and a strong desire to prepare visitors and school groups for what they will see. The most viable and successful route may be an alliance with your local …
The Henry Gallery at the University of Washington enjoys a location that many museums, on campus or otherwise, would be delighted to have. Over 2,000 students, faculty, and staff pass by the front door of the Henry everyday. Located on the western edge of the campus, it is, so far, …
Docents may not think of themselves as storytellers, but we tell stories every time we tour. What greater dramas are there than the conflict between native and intruder, whether insect, plant, human, or other animal; between the forces and tensions in the earth; or between how things were and what …
A New Resource for Volunteer Program Administration The American Council for the Arts in association with the American Association for Museum Volunteers has produced a comprehensive text on administering volunteer programs that should of assistance to anyone organizing or supervising volunteers. Volunteer Program Administration: A Handbook for Museums and Other …
There they are — what seems like hundreds upon hundreds of people, totally bereft of any fashion sense whatever, impatient, hot (or cold; it’s always one or the other), gazing skeptically down on you as you prepare to transport them to new heights of consciousness. Sound intimidating? It doesn’t have …
Recently, as part of a larger project, I had the opportunity to observe 27 docents at two large West Coast art museums while they conducted tours with third through sixth grade children. As an educational researcher, it was my aim to find out the kinds of questions docents typically ask …
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 …