Docents of the Georgia Museum of Art pose for a photo with Emily Hogrefe-Ribeiro, assistant curator of education, and Sage Kincaid, associate curator of education, in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden on May 17, 2021.
Whether you are an art connoisseur taking your time with an exhibition or casually viewing art with friends and family, a docent-led tour can teach you more about the works of art you are seeing. The Georgia Museum of Art recently resumed in-person tours with docents, providing visitors with an engaging way to explore the galleries.
The docent program, overseen by assistant curator of education Emily Hogrefe-Ribeiro, involves a thorough training with exercises to get volunteers familiar with and comfortable discussing the museum’s collections and special exhibitions. Along the tour, docents share information that you would not otherwise gather on your own, like personal details about the artist or the unique history of a work, and encourage dialogue and questions. The museum offers multiple opportunities for the public to engage in these tours(opens in new tab): the monthly Sunday Spotlight Tour at 3 p.m. and a biweekly Tour at Two at 2 p.m. every other Wednesday.
There are two types of docents: community and student volunteers. Community docents are volunteers from the Athens community who have an interest in art and its history. Student docents attend the University of Georgia and use their free time to lead these tours and engage with their community. It is a great opportunity to gain public speaking skills, experiential learning credit for students and teaching experience, all while giving back to the community.
If being a docent at the Georgia Museum of Art interests you, you can apply here(opens in new tab) for next year’s session. The program requires a 1-year commitment for students and 2 years for community members, with 12 tours per year.
By Danielle Davis
