If you love art and enjoy learning and sharing your knowledge, being a docent at the Art Museum of West Virginia University could be a great opportunity to get involved with the local community.

The Art Museum of WVU is looking for docents for its next training program that begins in January 2016. Docents are specially trained volunteers who lead interactive tours to help school groups and other museum visitors learn about the works of art on view at the museum. No previous experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome.

An information session about the docent program will take place Thursday Dec. 3, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Museum Education Center.

“It has been nearly three months since we opened our doors, and in that time we have welcomed more than 2,300 visitors to the museum,” said Education Programs Manager Heather Harris, who coordinates the docent training program. “We are so excited by the impact the museum is already having in the community, and our inaugural team of nine volunteer docents has been very successful in bringing the artworks in our collections alive for our visitors.

“We now hope to add even more docents to our staff so that we can continue to expand our educational programs.

“At the Art Museum of WVU, we have an inquiry-based approach to giving tours, where the emphasis is on creating meaningful discussions rather than simply relaying content,” Harris said. “Docent training will provide our volunteers with strategies and experience so that they can engage the community in meaningful encounters with original works of art.”

In the past, docent trainings sessions took place twice a month on Monday afternoons, but Harris is exploring options for making the sessions more accessible to volunteers who are not available on weekdays. One component of the information session on Dec. 3 will be a request for feedback on scheduling options.

“We would love to hear more about how to make docent training viable for a diverse cross-section of the community,” she said.

Anyone who plans to attend the docent information session should RSVP to Andrea Eridani at andrea.eridani@mail.wvu.edu.

For more information about the training, contact Heather Harris at heather.harris@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-5267.

-WVU-

cl/11/20/15

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, Art Museum of WVU
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu