This year, the Georgia Museum of Art celebrates a remarkable milestone – 30 years of service from longtime docent Jean Petrovs. Since joining in 1995, Petrovs has shared her love of art, storytelling and education with thousands of visitors, leaving a lasting impression on people of all ages who walk through the museum’s doors.
Petrovs’ path to the museum began far from Athens, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was raising her young son and looking for a way to stay connected to teaching after working as a teacher and librarian.
After seeing a notice in the newspaper, she applied to become a docent at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. There, she completed an intensive two-year training program and went on to lead tours and share art with visitors.
When her husband’s job brought the family to Athens, she hoped to continue that work. Soon after arriving in 1995, she visited the Georgia Museum of Art to introduce herself as a trained docent.
“Before I could finish my sentence, Trudy Snyder, who was at the counter at the time, said, ‘When can you start?’” she recalled with a laugh. “And that’s how it began.”
At the Georgia Museum of Art, docents lead tours for all ages, from the 5th-Grade Tour program offered to Clarke County School District students through Experience UGA to public tours for adults. The museum’s learning and engagement department develops the routes and activities, while each docent brings them to life with their creativity and personality.
Over time, Petrovs has seen the role evolve into something much more conversational and engaging. “It’s much more interactive these days,” she said. “Especially with children — we help them make personal connections to what they’re seeing and really take a good look.”
Petrovs believes great docents are natural storytellers. She often tells visitors that many of them are “the show-and-tell kids from school,” who loved bringing things to class and sharing stories. That enthusiasm and talent for making art accessible also earned her the museum’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2020 — recognition of her leadership, kindness and commitment.
What has kept Petrovs motivated for three decades of volunteering is the sense of belonging and the joy of connecting with people through art. From the beginning, she felt “very much at home.” “It’s quite a lot of fun to meet people who come in and to share with them what we have,” she said.
She remembers that former director William Underwood Eiland often reminded docents that they were “the face of the museum.” That kind of appreciation, Petrovs said, kept her and many others inspired along the way.
Throughout her time at the museum, Petrovs has collected countless memories, but one still stands out. As an 8th-grader, she visited the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her Latin class and was so inspired by a docent there that she went home and told her parents, “When I’m old, I’m going to be a docent.”
Decades later, when she returned to that same museum with her husband and cousins, her guide turned out to be a docent who had once lived in Athens. “It felt like everything came full circle,” she said.
She also recalls her colleague Charles Pinckney, a local jeweler and fellow docent. During one tour with a group of adults with developmental disabilities, Petrovs struggled to keep the group engaged — until Pinckney, who was shadowing her, stepped in.
“All of a sudden, he said, ‘Who would like to go fishing?’ while pointing to landscape paintings with water,” she said. “Everyone lit up. He was the one who was new but knew exactly what to do.”
Petrovs remembers another story Pinckney shared. A former student recognized him at a stoplight in Athens and apologized for misbehaving during a museum visit — and thanked him for inspiring a change in his attitude. “That’s the kind of lasting impact these experiences can have,” she said.
Today, Petrovs is the longest-serving docent at the Georgia Museum of Art — a living part of the museum’s story and community.
“Jean is such a wonderful part of our community docent group,” said Mallory Lind, the museum’s associate curator of education. “Her knowledge of the collection and the museum’s history, her enthusiasm for sharing her love of art and her ongoing dedication to this group make her truly special and deserving of recognition. We are so grateful for her 30 years of volunteer service to the Georgia Museum of Art. This is an incredible milestone that speaks to her generosity, passion and commitment to connecting others with art.”
The museum also celebrates other dedicated docents who have served for more than a decade, including Barbara Bloom-Fisher (14 years), Sherrie Olejnik (13 years), Svea Bogue (13 years) and Geri Williams (12 years).
Even after 30 years, Petrovs’ enthusiasm remains as strong as ever. She continues to tour, mentor new docents and share her passion for art and learning.
“I hope when you talk to the other docents, you’ll hear their stories too,” she said warmly. Each docent has their own journey to the museum, yet all share the same love for it.
The Georgia Museum of Art is deeply grateful for Jean Petrovs and for all the docents whose dedication helps bring art to life for our community.
Authored by:
Jeehyung Pyo
