The Chinese art collection at The Nelson-Atkins Museum is one of the finest collections in the West with more than 7,000 works from every phase of China’s artistic activity.This 12th-century polychrome wooden figure of Guanyin of the Southern Sea is heralded as the finest sculpture of its kind outside China. 

Go to nationaldocents.org/kc2022/registration to find information on registration!  We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City in September!

Guanyin of the Southern Sea, Chinese, Liao (907–1125). Wood with paint, 95 × 66 × 43 1/2 inches (241.3 × 167.64 × 110.49 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 34-10.

The National Docent Symposium is scheduled for September 16-19, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsored by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

During the symposium, participants will visit and learn from some of the rich array of museums in the Kansas City area. The National World War I Museum and Memorial, the Kemper Museum, the Truman Library and Museum, the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the American Jazz Museum are just a few that have invited participants to tour and learn with them.

Our headquarters is the Intercontinental Hotel in the historic Kansas City Country Club Plaza area. This puts participants within walking distance of many restaurants and shops.  During the symposium, dinners will take place at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City’s historic Union Station, and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

Participants will enjoy nationally known speakers, breakout sessions on museum topics important to docents and guides, and workshops offered by local museums. Those who arrive early can take advantage of “pre-tours” to local museums and collections.

We hope that you will take advantage of a few extra days in Kansas City to explore on your own and continue to experience Midwest hospitality!

On behalf of all of the museums, Kansas City, and the Nelson-Atkins docents and staff, we welcome you to Kansas City.

Get Inspired, Get Connected, and Get Kansas City!

NDS 2022 Co-chairs

 Pati Chasnoff, Carol Cowden, Julie Haas