Keeping up with the Docents
Docents visiting the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill.
June 2011
It has been an exciting year for me and I hope for you, too. We have six new docents and they have been doing tours since their graduation in March right along with the rest of us. Three have taken board positions on the Docent Planning Committee. Jim Price is Science Chair, Becky Isley is Anthropology Chair, and Donna Brucken is our Secretary/Treasurer. We are so glad to have them take a more active role in the Docent Association.
Right now, today, I would like for you to start recruiting your friends, neighbors, church members, club members, etc for our next Docent Class starting in September. We have lost some good active docents this past year, Susie Fox and Mel Petersen. Erlus Shatara went inactive as of the June Membership Meeting. We are really sorry to lose her.
Stephanie has many outreach tours and regular tours scheduled for the summer months. Remember we are all supposed to do at least one tour a month during the summer. Watch for Stephanie’s emails. Don’t forget to let her know, too, when you are going to be unavailable for an extended period of time.
I’m sorry to have missed the Spring Membership Meeting, but it couldn’t be avoided. I know you all enjoyed the luncheon and Reitz Home tours.
Remember Advanced Art Training starts Monday, August 1 from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon. You need a copy of The Annotated Mona Lisa by Carol Strickland, Ph.D. for this class. It is available at Amazon.com. Please let Cheryl Marshall or Stephanie know if you are going to be attending the complete training. If you would like to attend any of the sessions to brush up on something you’ve forgotten, feel free to join us.
Congratulations to Diane Thweatt, Helen Deig, Gloria Speer, Carolyn Reed, and Corinne Smith on getting additional stars on their name badges. Thank you, ladies, for all your good work and continued support of the Docent Association.
Enjoy summer now that it has arrived.
Bonnie Noe
President
May 2011
Finally today I saw some sunshine. Things are looking up both in Evansville and at the Museum. This is the last month of school and the calendar is really getting busy. Don’t forget to check it and keep your eyes open for emails from Stephanie.
Things are starting to pick-up for Museum Camp, June 13 thru June 17. Committees have been and are being formed. Stephanie has a sign-up sheet. There is more than one way you can help make it a successful camp this year. We need before and after day care help, sign-in help, help with the daily activities, chaperones for field trips, people to prepare lunches for the helpers, etc. There is something for everyone.
We have two new chairpersons on the Docent Planning Committee. Jim Price is going to be Science Chair replacing Diane Thweatt who resigned after helping us for so many years. We are sure going to miss Diane, but I believe that Jim will be a good replacement. Becky Isley has agreed to be Anthropology Chair replacing Kathleen Marley who has gone inactive. We are glad to have these people join us.
Make sure you let Sue King know of any place you would like to go for an enrichment trip. We enjoy these trips and we learn so much. We definitely want to go to places that interest you.
Did everyone enjoy the Mummy Outreach presentation? Cheryl does a wonderful job. Everyone, no matter their age, seems to really enjoy this outreach and most have lots of questions. Every one of you is eligible to do this outreach and the first grade Discovery Outreach, the History Outreach, and the Pre-K Puppet Outreach.
Put June 6 on your calendar. That is our Spring Membership Meeting. It is a luncheon meeting at the Reitz Home Carriage House and includes tours of the Reitz Home. If you have not toured the Reitz Home, you are going to be wowed by it. It is truly one of Evansville’s must-see places.
Bonnie Noe, President
April 2011
Don’t forget to sign up for tours. April and May are usually our busiest months. The calendar is always available in Stephanie’s office so take a look at it when you are at the museum.
Stephanie and I did a presentation at the 4C Conference. We premiered the new pre-K puppet outreach with Moo. It was well received by the adults in attendance. Hopefully the children will enjoy it just as much.
Thirty-three children attended Spring Break Camp. They were at our museum on Wednesday that week. I want to thank everyone who helped. What would we do without all of you?
All of our new docents have completed their first tour and some have done multiples. Each one you do gets easier.
Our Summer Camp is coming soon, June 13 – 17. Planning meetings are starting already. If you are interested in helping plan art day, science day, or the two history days, please, contact Stephanie or me.
Advanced Art Training starts August 1 from 1 to 3 PM. This extra training will allow you to do the art tours and the second and third grade outreach tours. This training will include some artist visits and/or off site studio visits.
The New Docent Coffee is August 22. Please start thinking about your friends, neighbors, or other club members who would enjoy being a docent at the museum. Bring them in to shadow a tour with you or take them on a private tour. We have had such good groups of docents the last few years I would like to see that continue.
Becky Kamp is working on the Pokey puppet show. She has some great ideas on how to pep it up. So look for it to be unveiled in the near future.
The Spring Membership meeting is June 6 at the Reitz Home. Make sure to put this date on your calendar.
The National Docent Symposium is October 2 – 5 in St. Louis. We will be sending docents to this. Every time we go to the symposium we come home with great new ideas.
Bonnie Noe
March 2011
Welcome to spring! Finally we have had some warm weather and the groundhog didn’t see his shadow so things are looking up.
We have been busy. The tours are starting to pick up now that I-STEP tests are over so watch your email and look at the calendar in Stephanie’s office whenever you are at the museum. Also, the museum is now open on Tuesdays.
February 22 was the jury day for the High School Art Show. The jurist, Brian Lee Whisenhunt, was here from the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute. Once again the children in our community and from surrounding communities did a wonderful job. There is so much talent among our young people. I recommend that you all come see the show either at the opening on March 17 or anytime afterwards.
It was good to see you all on Monday at our Winter Membership Meeting where we “graduated” six new docents. Again this year we had a marvelous group of docents. They are sure to be an asset to the museum. One of them, Donna Brucken, is our secretary/treasurer for 2011/2012. They are all stepping right up and helping out. Most have already signed up to do tours. We are glad to have the excellent talent.
This is a BIG thank you to Mr. Streetman for giving us the wonderful Gallery Tour. I, personally, could have listened to him talk about the artwork all day. It was quite an experience! I am sorry some of you had to miss it. We all learned so much. He has some great stories about the artists, the artwork, the frames, the artists’ agents, and the donors.
On March 12 Stephanie and I are giving a presentation at the 4C Conference at the Christian Church in Newburgh. They are expecting around 500 attendees. These people work with preschool to eight-year-old children. We will be talking mainly about our Outreach Programs geared for pre-school to third grade. We will be doing the new pre-school outreach-starring Moo for the first time.
Last weekend, March 5, was KidsFest at the museum. There were approximately 460 people attending. Thank you to the docents who helped.
Are you planning yet to help with Spring Break Camp? Check with Stephanie to see if she needs some more help. We will have the children at our museum for two different days. Free lunch is included for the help.
Also, now is the time to sign up for one of the Summer Camp committees. Summer Camp is June 13 thru June 17, but we need to get things planned way ahead of time. The theme is the Ohio River.
Bonnie
FEBRUARY 2011
Happy “Winter” to everyone! Don’t despair Spring will be here soon and in the meantime there are exciting things happening at the Museum. I think all of you will want to be involved in some of them.
Want something different to do on Valentine’s Day? This Monday evening, February 14, is the Art Party Soiree at the Museum. Bring your sweetie, significant other, or just a plain, old good friend and join in the fun. Paint a canvas that you can take home while enjoying wine and chocolates. Call the Museum for reservations.
The Contemporaries are having their Grand Tour of Wines on Saturday, February 19, at the Museum. There will be hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and live entertainment. Come join the fun by calling the Museum for reservations.
On Tuesday, February 22, is the High School Art Show Jury Day. If you have never helped with this, now is your opportunity. It is simply eye opening to see what the young people in our and surrounding communities can do. There is a wealth of talent in our area. We are expecting between 800 and 900 separate items ranging from drawings to sculpture. Around 150 of these will be on display in the Museum after the March 17th opening. There are many that don’t make the show that are equally as wonderful and helping on jury day is your chance to see them all. There are many different jobs that we do to help. You can help all day, just morning, just afternoon, or for whatever time you can spare. Mary Bower can use our help anytime between 9 and 4. This is the one event that I never miss.
March 7 is our Winter Membership Meeting starting at 10 AM. The main item on the agenda that day is the graduation of our docent trainees. We have another good group again this year. I have been to many of their demos and they are ready to start doing tours. They have brought new ideas and their own personalities to the tours. Keeping that in mind start thinking of people who go to your church, belong to other clubs or organizations with you, friends, or neighbors who would be good docent material. The new docent coffee in August will be here sooner than you realize.
There is going to be a cooperative children’s camp during Spring Break this year. The four major organizations involved are the Evansville Zoo, Angel Mounds, cMoe, and the Evansville Museum. The Reitz Home and the African American Museum will also be involved in some of the activities. We may be asking for your help, as the children will be at our museum two different days.
Cheryl Marshall is planning to have instruction/training this Summer for those docents interested in becoming art docents. If you are interested in this training, please, let Stephanie, Cheryl, or me know. Any art docents who would like to brush up on their skills are welcome to attend all or some of the sessions.
This is a thank you to the training coordinators. They have been doing a fine job with the new docents. It takes a lot of work, coordination, and effort on their part.
Has everyone looked through their Copia? What a wonderful job this time. Several of our docents are pictured in the magazine especially in the section about the Gala. I heard someone say this week that the Copia was worth the cost of museum membership.
Bonnie
JANUARY 2011
It has almost been a month since Christmas, but I hope everyone had a happy one. I hope your New Year is off to a good start. I can’t say much for our weather so far this year, 2011, but spring is right around the corner. Keep saying that to yourself.
I want to apologize to everyone/anyone for the Docent Christmas Luncheon. As far as I have been able to find out this is the first time it has ever been canceled. Because of that things did not go perfectly or even well. The Emergency Phone Call list broke down somewhere and some people did not get the message. Stephanie, Becky Z, and I did the best we knew how. Hopefully this will not happen again anytime soon and if it does we will try to do a better job. I am sorry that the new docent trainees did not get to see what a nice celebration we have. At DPC we decided to not reschedule the luncheon. It just wouldn’t be the same at a different date or location.
We need help on an art committee to design a new art outreach program for grades 5 and 6. Cheryl Marshall is heading up the committee. Also, Cheryl is planning to have an advanced art training session this summer. If you want to be an art docent, you need to sign up for this training. You may join the class, if you want to brush up on your art training. Just email Cheryl, if you are interested.
Moo, the cow puppet, for the kindergarten/pre-school outreach program has been ordered. Becky Kamp is making a few changes to the script. We will soon be presenting it to the docents for comments and critiques.
New docent training is coming along quite well. We have another good class of docents this year. Graduation will be at the Winter Membership meeting on March 7.
Speaking of new docents it isn’t too early to start recruiting prospective docents for next fall’s training session. If you find someone who is interested, bring them with you when you do a tour. That will let them get some idea of what a docent does.
Bonnie
November 2010
Can you all believe that it is November already? The holiday season is almost upon us. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are still a lot of exciting things happening at the Museum before then. This Saturday is the fabulous Gala honoring us. I hope many of you will be attending. I look forward to seeing you all in your splendid finery. Then on Sunday afternoon, November 7, Harold Morgan, a fellow docent, is going to speak in the Old Gallery at 2 PM on Evansville and the Depression Years. Monday, November 8, is our Fall Membership Meeting. We are going to vote on some changes/updates to our by-laws so we need you there. Wednesday, November 10, is another wonderful enrichment trip to French Lick and West Baden. I hope you have all made your reservations for that. Saturday, November 13, is the Second Annual Walk/Run. Stephanie still has positions and opportunities available if you are interested in helping. Friday and Saturday, November 19 and 20, is Select Collections in the Old Gallery. Pati Hoskins from the Museum Shop, also has opportunities for volunteers at this event. It is something new and exciting for the museum this year. On December 3 and 4 is EMTRAC Express. This is another new event especially for children or the young at heart. Monday, December 13, is our annual Christmas luncheon at Gayle Begley’s beautiful home. If you go away from there hungry, it is your own fault. Tuesday, December 14, is our final enrichment trip for 2010. This one is to Nashville, TN to the Frist Museum to see The Birth of Impressionism from the Musee D’Orsay and the glassworks of Dale Chihuly plus a trip to the Parthenon at Centennial Park. This is another “must see” trip.
Our docent trainees are doing just great. They are going to be a real asset to our group. We are sorry to have lost Marilyn Adler. She had an accident coming down the stairs to the first floor at the museum. She suffered a fracture and will not be able to continue her training, but she has promised us she will be back next fall to start again. We are all looking forward to her return.
If you need to brush up on some tours, you can attend any of the training sessions or you can shadow tours. I have found I learn a lot by attending the training sessions….new people have new ideas.
Cheryl Marshall has our 2010/2011 rosters ready for us. You will be receiving it via email this year.
The tours have been coming in fast and furious lately. The calendars are filling up. Please help Stephanie by signing up via email or when you are at the museum. Let’s not make Stephanie have to contact us more than once. Both calendars are kept in her office hanging on the wall behind her desk check them out when you are down there.
Bonnie
October 2010
Autumn has arrived! Signs of autumn are the cooler temperatures, the Fall Festival down on Franklin Street, the busy tour calendar, and new docent training. We have nine docents going through the training. Seven new docents completed their short History demos on Monday. All of them did a marvelous job. Madeleine, Corinne, and Diana are doing a great job. Madeleine needs a few more mentors for the new docents. This is a wonderful opportunity for both the veteran docents and the trainees. You can learn so much from each other.
Early Childhood presented us with a script for the new pre-school outreach puppet show. DPC members are reviewing it now. It sounds like a wonderful script from what we were told at DPC. I’m sure the little ones will really enjoy it.
Docents reported that Wesselman’s Pioneer Days went well. We are hoping to get invited back next year.
Here are some dates to put on your calendar.
Tuesday, October 12, at noon at the Willard Library Cheryl and I will be doing the Mummy Outreach. We would appreciate your support and willingness to be an audience volunteer when we need one.
Saturday, November 6, is the Museum’s Annual Gala at the Evansville Country Club. We are being honored. You should be getting your invitation in the mail this week. Please attend if at all possible.
Sunday, November 7, Harold Morgan is giving another History talk at the Museum.
Monday, November 8, is our Fall Membership Meeting at the Museum.
We have another Fabulous Enrichment Trip coming on Wednesday, November 10. It is a day trip. We are going to French Lick and West Baden. The price is $75. You need to turn in your reservations to Sue King by noon, Monday, November 8. Docent trainees may join us.
The Second Annual 5K Walk/Run is Saturday, November 13. Anyone may participate. If you are not participating and still want to be part of the fun, there are going to be numerous volunteer opportunities. Stephanie will be letting us know what volunteer positions are needed. If you can’t participate and can’t volunteer, you can still purchase a t-shirt. The Museum’s own, Jerome Duerson, did the artwork for the t-shirt. Someday when JD is famous you will be glad to say you knew him first and own some of his artwork in the form of a t-shirt.
Bonnie Noe
September 2010
We are off to a good start and gathering steam this tour season. We have 12 prospective docents ready to start training. This was thanks in part to five newspaper articles, Stephanie’s two television appearances, our wonderful New Docent Coffee on August 23, and all of you recruiting your friends. Training starts in earnest next Monday, September 20, at 9 AM. First up Harold Morgan is leading on WWII and the LST. Next Bob Levi is leading training on early Evansville and Lincoln and after that Anita Louthan will be leading training on Rivertown. Bob and Anita are the History Co-chairs this year. If you need to brush up on any touring areas, you are welcome to attend the training sessions. I know I have learned a lot in the past from attending these sessions and also listening to the new docents make their presentations.
Thanks to the docents who helped at Kids and Grandparents Day. We had a great turn out.
When you are at the museum you should take the time to watch the Judy Chicago video. It is so interesting and informative. It is amazing to hear all the work, research, and planning that went into the exhibit. We are lucky to have a small portion of it at our museum.
Sue King, Enrichment Chair, is busily planning a trip to West Baden and French Lick for us. She is looking at early November for this trip. We will keep you updated on this trip.
Becky Zimmermann and Carolyn Reed are both continuing to recover. I think that is in part to the wonderful attitude both of them have exhibited.
We have been invited by Wesselman Woods to participate in their Pioneer Days. This is a first for us. How exciting to be able to interact with so many young children and give them a taste of what the museum has to offer.
Our Fall Membership meeting is November 8 at 10:30. Sarah Karges, Hospitality Chair, is taking care of the refreshments. She did a wonderful job at the New Docent Coffee. Thank you, Sarah.
Please continue to check the tour and outreach calendars in Stephanie’s office when you are at the museum. Tour dates are starting to appear on both calendars. Let’s see if we can keep Stephanie from having to send so many emails for help this coming year.
Bonnie Noe
President
August 2010
On June 16 we had a wonderful trip to Columbus, IN on a weather-perfect day.
We just completed a successful week of museum camp. This was thanks to Stephanie’s leadership and the many talented docents who helped. We would not have made it through the day without the wonderful lunches provided by other docents.
“Get Out the Word” is our motto for August. Get out the word about how great our docent program is. Tell everyone you know. Being a docent is fun, educational, and fulfilling. You cannot meet a friendlier, nicer group of people anywhere.
Get Out the Word about our numerous outreach programs. They can be adapted for all ages. We are available to all group and club meetings. By doing this we let people get to know the museum and make them want to come visit it.
Dates to remember are:
August 23 – New Docent Coffee: Please come and show your support.
August 29 – A museum talk on historic Evansville by our own, Harold Morgan
November 19 and 20 – A unique shopping experience – Select Sale
Bonnie
April 2010
High School Art Show
Congratulations to docent Kay Fuchs’ granddaughter Lauren Fuchs of Reitz Memorial High School for winning the John W. Streetman Best of Show Award in the 47th Annual High School Art Show! Her oil painting is entitled Lauren Shea and it is outstanding! Fifteen local high schools participated and with hundreds of submissions the competition was intense. In the words of William Brown, the Juror and Professor & Chair of the Art Department at the University of Evansville, “I looked for those works of art that commanded a presence and indicated sensitivity for the subject; those works that sparked my curiosity; that were intriguing; had energy and excitement; as well as having some evidence of investigation.”
I am always impressed by the quality of the work submitted for this show, and this year was no exception. If you have not had a chance to peruse the student work in this exhibit, please put it on the top of your to-do list. It is an exceptional show!
Trip to Paris/Nice
Carmen Ruckman presented a proposal for a 2011 trip to Paris/Nice and has only heard from a few people. She needs at least twelve people to commit to the trip to make it worth organizing, so if you are interested, please email Carmen at vcruckman@wowway.com. She is willing to extend the deadline until the end of April, then will open it up to her friends and the general public since it is not an official Museum-sanctioned trip.
Columbus, IN
Sue King has agreed to be our new Enrichment Chair, taking over for the incomparable Paula Riggs. Working with Paula, Sue has proposed a one-day June 16 trip to Columbus, Indiana where the “American Institute of Architects ranked Columbus 6th in the nation of innovation and design.” We would see two pieces by glass artist Dale Chihuly, take a walking tour of the architecture of Columbus, view the Bloomington Watercolor show and dine at the Joe Huber Family Restaurant in Starlight, IN on the way back. And all of this for only $100.00! Put the date on your calendar and watch for more information.
Tour Techniques Training
On May 3 after the exhibition training, there will be Tour Techniques training for all docents. In this session we want to hear from you! Share your challenges, solutions, tips, and tricks. I just had a situation this week in which my inattention messed up someone else’s tour and the other docent really had to punt (I promise to try not to let it happen again). If you have examples of tour disasters, let’s hear about them, and tell us how you dealt with them! What techniques do you use to liven up your tours, or to handle a rowdy group (not that we ever get any of those!)? Are there processes that you think should be re-examined? Bring us your stories (funny, moving, surprising, etc.), suggestions, and grievances. Kudos are always welcome so be sure to share what’s going well also. This session is about sharing!
VERY Busy Touring Season
Have you signed up for any tours lately? If not, you only have to look at the emails that Stephanie is sending out to see the volume of tours that we have already for April and May and the calls are still coming. We need everyone’s help as April and May are traditionally our busiest months. Be sure to check the tour calendars when you are at the Museum, and respond to the emails that go out frequently this time of year. Thanks to all of you for your willingness to jump in!
Have a great month and see you on May 3rd!
Cheryl
March 2010
What an exciting time to be a docent at the Evansville Museum! There is so much going on, including new exhibits, the upcoming opening of the renovated Old Gallery and the Richardt Room, a possible European trip, and of course our Fabulous Eight! Of course I’m referring to our new docents who graduated and received their official name badges on Monday, March 1. We are delighted that they have chosen to share their considerable talents, expertise, and interests with us. As docents we are ambassadors for the Museum with the schools and the community and we are pleased that our new docents have jumped right in for tours and volunteering.
2010-2011 DPC Officers
At the Membership Meeting Gayle Begley put forth the slate of Docent Planning Committee officers for 2010-1011: President Elect, Bonnie Noe; Vice-President, Becky Zimmermann; and Secretary-Treasurer, Helen Deig. These candidates were presented to the Docent Association and unanimously elected. Congratulations! They will take office at the spring meeting in June.
Trip to Paris/Nice
Carmen Ruckman, whose husband teaches French at North High School, presented a proposal for a European trip for the Museum family next year. She proposed a six-day trip to Paris or a nine-day trip which would include Nice. Her husband has taken students to Europe numerous times and works through NETC Educational Travel to arrange the trips. These trips are all-inclusive, with the exception of lunches and miscellaneous admissions, souvenirs, etc. Carmen needs at least twelve people to start organizing a trip, so if you are interested, please email Carmen at vcruckman@wowway.com no later than March 31!
Old Gallery Opening
Put March 13 and 14 on your calendars! As you know, the Old Gallery has been undergoing renovations and the Grand Opening is March 13 and 14! The renovations include the creation of The Richardt Room which will be used for luncheons, meetings, and other smaller gatherings. The Museum is also taking the opportunity of this opening to kick off the public part of the capital campaign. An astonishing thirteen million dollars have already been raised and the Museum needs to raise an additional 4.5 million dollars to accomplish the addition to the current facilities and the new planetarium. We will need everyone to participate any way you can! Watch for more information!
As I said, exciting things are going on at the Evansville Museum!
Cheryl
February 2010
Okay, so is anyone else tired of winter? I’ve lived in snow country (central and northern New York state) most of my life but I guess I’ve gotten spoiled by Evansville’s mild winters over the last seven years. I’m ready for spring! Thinking forward to spring makes me think of our March 1 Membership meeting at the Begley Art Source (I’ve opted NOT to refer to it as our Winter Membership meeting!), and the graduation of our eight docent trainees. They have done themselves proud; jumping right in shadowing tours and helping out with special programs. We are very fortunate that they will be joining us and we look forward to their active participation. Good luck on your full Highlights tours in the next two weeks!
Carmen Ruckman has brought to us two proposals for an exciting Museum trip to Europe in 2011. Her husband teaches French at North H.S. and is very experienced in leading student trips abroad. General information has been emailed to all docents and we will discuss a possible European trip at the March meeting. Think how much fun it would be!
Finally, thank you to Corinne and to the docents who participated in the mummy training on Monday. It’s a challenging and exciting program to do and the kids have a ball with it (especially pulling the brain out through the nose and removing the intestines)! If you have suggestions or questions about the “script”, please feel free to email them to me.
Cheryl Marshall
January 2010
Happy New Year!
Below are more photos from the Christmas party at Gayle Begley’s lovely home. Once again her hospitality got our holiday season off on the right foot.
We are off to a running start with tours and I hope that everyone will check the schedule for tours that need to be covered. You will note some changes at the Museum, in particular that the Museum will be closed on Tuesdays as well as Mondays until February 23. You have probably also noticed that parking on the south side of the building is once again accessible. The staff is in the process of re-establishing the Science Center and Family Place since construction on the Museum addition has been postponed. However, the Museum will be proceeding with some of the smaller projects that were a part of the overall master plan such as the remodeling of the Old Gallery and some necessary repairs. These changes should not affect our tours, at least not as much as EVSC budget cuts and spring ISTEP! It will be a challenging semester!
We have some training coming up for all docents so be sure to mark the dates on your calendars. On January 11 we will offer the updated 1st grade Discovery outreach training at 9:00 am. A copy of the revised script will be emailed to all docents and I encourage you to print it out. If you are not receiving emails please let Stephanie know and she will see that notices (like this newsletter) will be mailed to you.
On February 1 there will be Emergency training for all docents at 10:00 am followed by mummy outreach training for all those interested in learning this fun program. I am in the process of reworking the script (okay, I admit it; I have a tendency to be wordy). This is a popular program so I hope that many of you will take the time to attend the training session!
Cheryl Marshall
December 2009
The annual Christmas party at Gayle Begley’s got the season off to a great start and I hope that you will all have a peaceful and festive holiday with family and friends. Prior to the party, some of the docents were sharing funny stories about their tours and Sarah Karges would like to put them into our scrapbooks for posterity. So if you have any experiences that you would like to share with other docents please write them down and snail mail or email them to Sarah!
Speaking of Tours:
We have had a very busy Fall touring season and we want to thank everyone who volunteered to lead the many on-site and outreach tours. Please check the schedule from time to time to see what tours are coming up. Since the new building construction has been postponed there should be little, if any, interruption in our normal museum tours. Also, Family Place and the Science Gallery will soon be returned to operation. The parking situation should already be alleviated and we will no longer have to trek from the “back 40” through construction debris to get to the museum! Halleluiah!
Mark your Calendars:
January 11: Tour Techniques Training. This is for all docents. Training will be on the updated 1st grade outreach program.
February 22: High School Art Show Judging Day. It is amazing to see the quality of work that is being produced by the high school students and to shadow the judge as he/she makes determinations about what will make it into the show, and what will win prizes.
Peace and Joy!
Cheryl
November 2009
What a busy time! Stephanie and I had a very successful trip to the National Docent Symposium in Toronto and our presentation on our “Tell Me a Story” tour fit right into the theme of symposium which was “Crossing Borders--Bridging Cultures”. In his keynote speech “A Storytelling Perspective on the Art of the Docent”, Dan Yashinsky talked about stories making the objects come alive and “dance beyond their frames”. As docents we are all storytellers and it’s the stories that engage the listeners and open up the conversations. Toronto is a fabulous city and meeting docents from across the country and Canada and sharing ideas is what makes attending the symposium so enriching. I came back from the Phoenix Symposium two years ago with the idea for the mummy outreach program and Toronto gave me some new ideas!
Frank Gehry Staircase, Art Gallery of Ontario
Galleria Italia
Royal Ontario Museum
Stephanie Gerhardt during our presentation
The history outreach program put together by Gloria Speer, Larry Miller, and Lois O’Neill is really exciting and we thank them for all the time they invested in it. The training held Monday introduced everyone to the program which we expect to be very popular in the schools!
We will also be conducting more training for “Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Egypt”. We have many opportunities coming up to participate in this program so you’re encouraged to shadow any of the upcoming presentations. It’s really a fun program and the kids really enjoy it! More information regarding date, time, and sign-up will be forthcoming.
Mark your calendars for Monday, November 9 at 10:30 for the Fall Membership Meeting! Note that the meeting will be held at the Begley Art Source and not in the Old Gallery! Chris Jackson will give us a tour of the Art Source, and Stephanie and I will share some of our Toronto symposium experiences. See you then!
Cheryl Marshall
October 2009
Springfield Trip
Paula Riggs did another outstanding job in planning the trip to Springfield, IL. We toured the extraordinary Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, the Lincoln home and “neighborhood”, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Library, the Old State Capitol, the Executive Mansion, and the Lincoln Tomb. The weather cooperated and provided a gorgeous early fall backdrop for our travels. (It seems that all the rain that was predicted jumped right over Springfield and fell on Evansville!) All of the tours were guided with the exception of the Presidential Museum and it is very interesting to see a variety of touring styles. Some of the guides were very enthusiastic, others more pedantic. Some were quite dramatic, others more down to earth. We had to empathize with the guides who repeated themselves because they had been giving back to back tours all day! I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know that I have done that a time or two!
As you have read here before, Paula is stepping down as Enrichment Chair and we need someone who enjoys travel and has a flair for detail and organization to step in. These enrichment trips are very important to our organization and are a great opportunity to get to know each other better and enjoy the camaraderie of the group. If you would like more information about this special job, please contact Paula.
New Docent Training
Good luck to the new docents who started their training last week…they are joining a terrific organization and I hope that they will find it very rewarding. A first glance of the training manual can be overwhelming but we’ve all been there, so if you get a chance to encourage a new docent, please do so!
Anthropology Chair
Mary Ann Ziegler has let us know that she will be going inactive and will not be able to continue as Anthropology Chair. The Chair leads new docent training in the Humankind Gallery. Gloria Speer is set to conduct the Plains Indians training and we need someone to teach about the Southwest, Pacific Coast, and Northwest Indians. Co-Chair Andrea Wannemuehler is organizing the training in the rest of the Gallery. Please help!
Cheryl Marshall
September 2009
The Welcome Coffee was a resounding success and it was great to see everyone after the summer. Thanks to Sarah Karges and her team for providing the delicacies we enjoyed. The Museum is undergoing lots of exciting changes and we will have to be at our adaptive best in the upcoming year of renovations and expansion. But we are equal to the challenge!
The new docent trainee class looks fabulous! Seven individuals came to the orientation session held today (the 14th). Let’s all welcome them and encourage them as they go through their training! Remember, we were once where they are now!
Docent Trainees: Diana Patrick, Dick Roe
Left to right: Anita Louthan, Cindy Warren, Becky Kamp, Kathleen Marley, Sue King
Diana Patrick has returned to Evansville looking for a challenge after 28 years away, and Dick Roe is a retired engineer interested in history, particularly Civil War history. After raising her family, Anita Louthan currently works part-time in real estate and was inspired by her brother-in-law who is a zoo docent in Cincinnati. Cindy Warren is retired and ready to move in a different direction. Becky Kamp was a history major in college and was inspired by a docent-led tour this summer on Edisto Island (thank you docents who are such inspirations!) Kathleen Marley retired from teaching after 34 years and misses talking about history—imagine that! Finally, Sue King is retired and her friend Bonnie Noe convinced her that being a docent is fun! This looks like a terrific group and we are excited to have them share their talents and enthusiasm with us!
Cheryl Marshall
