National Docents Symposium Council
Dedicated to providing an ongoing forum for docent education and the exchange of ideas since 1981
Interchange
Inclusion and Diversity – Creating space for multiple and diverse voices
New Articles (March 2019)
Romare Bearden, Carolina ShoutLetter from the NDSC President
It has been one year since we began our series of docents/guides and educators sharing their experiences in broadening the reach and appeal to new and diverse audiences. We have had some excellent insight about success and some challenges. In looking back at this past year, I asked our NDSC directors to let me know what is happening in their institutions right now. Check out these articles:
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK, shares a new way of viewing and touring the permanent collection, looking at artists who are also immigrants in their exhibition Americans All!
From the Palm Springs Museum, docent David Winton shares his experience touring the special exhibition “Unsettled: Art on the New Frontier” (until April 30th, 2019) about the settlement of the West including the indigenous people living prior to “settlement.”
And at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City (host for the 2021 symposium) the co-chairs review a broad range of new events, tours and training for welcoming new audiences.
I am also happy to share with you a contribution from Toni Kendrick, a docent at the Mint Museum in North Carolina recounting how she loves designing “highlights tours” saying it is one of the most creative aspects of being a docent.
For docents and guides inclusion is really a part of our everyday practice and eventually it will become a seamless part of the fabric of our cultural institutions.
Let’s hear from you. Consider being a part of the Interchange to share ideas and experiences of our everyday practices so that we may learn and grow together.
Mina Shea, President, National Docent Symposium Council
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More Docent News/Sharing Ideas and Experience
The Docent Handbook 2 - A Must Buy, See Why!
The revised edition of our popular docent handbook - The Docent Handbook 2 - is now available for purchase. This valuable resource for docents, guides and interpreters from museums and cultural institutions of all types in the US and Canada is a stimulating and informative "nuts and bolts" manual.
“this is not an academic treatise but rather a wealth of clearly-presented suggestions any docent can easily incorporate into their own practice".- Mica Meadow, Docent,San Antonio Museum of Art
Read more of Mica's remarks and find other customer reviews of The Docent Handbook 2 here.
For more information and ordering instructions, click this LINK
Recruiting Directors
Hazel Peach, Docent, Philadelphia Museum of Art; NDSC Director (February 2019)
The Directors of the National Docent Symposium Council (NDSC) not only are active docents in their respective cultural institutions but they are frequent and ongoing participants in the symposia over many years. They offer their insight from their experiences at the symposia and how the NDSC offers cultural institutions throughout the United States and Canada an excellent forum for the exchange of new ideas and best practices.
The NDSC will elect new directors at the 2019 NDSC Symposium. Read more from NDSC Recruiting Committee Chair Hazel Peach.
New Contributions (March 2019)
Many docents are adventurous travelers. We continue a series on docent travels to unique places and interesting museums with A Trip to the Twin Cities.
More Travel Stories from Docents: Malta: Scenery, History and Art; A Visit to Benin City, Nigeria
Find PowerPoint Presentations and Handouts at the Symposia menu tab above or click here
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NDS 2019 Washington D.C.
