Official behind-the-scenes blog of the Dallas Museum of Art
Today docents at the Dallas Museum of Art celebrated the holidays at a Docent Luncheon. We appreciate all of their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Visit the DMA Dashboard to see how many hours the docents have volunteered. If you are interested in learning more about the DMA Docent Program, e-mail skarol@DMA.org.
The 2012-2013 DMA Teen Docents.
If you have spent any time at the DMA this summer, you may have noticed teenagers in gray DMA T-shirts leading groups through the galleries. These aren’t just any teenagers, though—they are our dedicated DMA Teen Docents. The Teen Docent program has been going strong since 2001, and this summer we have our largest group ever. Thirty-one high school students are spending their summer vacation at the Museum, and we are thrilled to have them with us.
Our Teen Docents come from across the Metroplex, attending school at TAG Townview Magnet, Episcopal School of Dallas, Ursuline Academy, Greenhill School, Fulton School, Plano West, Plano Senior High, Cedar Hill Collegiate High, Jasper High, Vines High, Lovejoy High, Mesquite High, and Lake Highlands High. We even have one volunteer who lives in Bryant, Texas, but is spending the summer in Dallas so she can be a Teen Docent. Talk about dedication!
Teen Docents Sahil and Jennifer look on as students re-create Fernand Leger’s “The Divers.”
The requirements to be a Teen Docent are simple: you have to be in high school, you must be available to volunteer for a total of twelve hours over the summer, and you have to love talking about art with kids. Our Teen Docent application asks what our applicants hope to gain from their experience volunteering at the Museum. Their answers always astound me because their passion and excitement shine through. Here are just a few of their responses:
Not only are the Teen Docents passionate, but they’re also really creative. Just look at what they made during a Creativity Challenge in June.
Teen Docent Jasmine helps a visitor write a postcard.
As the summer comes to a close, I want to publicly thank our Teen Docents for their hours of service to the DMA this year. Between leading tours, volunteering at Late Nights, and assisting in a myriad of roles on First Tuesdays, these teenagers go above and beyond when it comes to volunteering at the DMA.
Shannon Karol is Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching.
Even though it’s still warm outside, it seems like fall now that school has started. Those of us in the Teaching Programs and Partnerships department spent our summer vacation getting ready for the 2011-2012 school year. We were busy planning for tours, Go van Gogh outreach programs, and teacher workshops that relate to the DMA’s collection, as well as our upcoming special exhibitions. We thought it might be fun to share with you a “by-the-numbers” look at the different programs we offer for students and teachers.
66,661—Number of K-12 students from the DFW Metroplex who had a DMA experience (museum visit, Go van Gogh program, or special partnership) during the 2010-2011 school year
51,166 – Number of views accumulated thus far since launching the DMA Educator Blog in September 2009
48,327—Number of K-12 students who received a docent-guided or self-guided tour of the DMA in 2010-2011
3,917—Number of higher education students who visited the DMA for a tour during the 2010-2011 school year
12,568—Number of Dallas ISD 4th graders who will visit the DMA this year for docent-guided tours
34—Weeks available to schedule a tour for your students
119—Number of docents who will give tours during the 2011-2012 school year
24—Number of Teen Docents who volunteered at the DMA this past summer
Go van Gogh Classroom Outreach
8,236 – Number of students in Dallas who experienced a Go van Gogh program in 2010-2011
32 – Go van Gogh visits to Dallas Public Libraries during summer 2011
128 – Days available to schedule Go van Gogh visits during 2011-2012
10 – Satellite and Site-Specific Go van Gogh programs in 2011-2012, including schools in Richardson, McKinney, and Waxahachie
40 – Number of Go van Gogh volunteers in 2011-2012
14,779 – Miles on the Go van Gogh van
34 – Number of online teaching material units available FREE on the DMA website
578 – Number of teachers who participated in professional development sessions at the DMA during summer 2011
3.5 – Number of CPE credit hours teachers will receive for attending one of seven teacher workshops this year
$5 – Price of admission (half off) for teachers attending the September 16 Late Night
1 – Number of nights each week that teachers receive free admission. Show your school ID between 5:00 and 9:00 p.m. on Thursday nights and gaze at art free!
$40 – Price of a teacher membership, which provides free admission and parking for you as well as discounts on shopping, dining, and attending teacher workshops!
All of our programs will officially begin the week of September 19, and we are currently accepting reservations for the 2011-2012 school year. We look forward to welcoming you and your students to the Museum soon!
Shannon Karol is the Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching.
We have a corps of over one hundred volunteer docents who lead tours for students K-12 as well as for our adult visitors. They play an important role at the DMA, introducing our collections to museum-goers and sharing their passion for the beauty and importance of art. We are proud of their hard work and dedication and would like to introduce you to several of them over the coming months.
First up, meet Tom Matthews. Who knows, you might even run into him the next time you’re in the galleries. Rumor has it that he and his fellow docents spend a lot of their free time enjoying the art.
Number of years as a docent at the DMA: 10
A little bit about me: When I was a boy, my father piqued my interest in art by taking me to the Art Institute of Chicago. Though not trained in art, my father – an attorney – had a keen eye and did much reading on his own. His comments about art and artists stirred a life-long fascination for me. In my adult years, this interest continued. On family vacations, we usually stopped – often despite the protest of our daughters – at museums. My understanding was deepened by a twenty-five-volume series the Met in New York did for the public on art history and appreciation. While I was serving as pastor of a church in the coal fields of western Pennsylvania, a highlight of the month would be the arrival of one of these volumes. My wife alerted me to the docent program by referring me to an article in the Dallas Morning News.
My favorite experience as a docent at the DMA: I feel I have succeeded as a docent when I have “opened” a piece of art for the viewer. What does it feel like to be a griever in Jacob Lawrence’s Visitors or to “walk” as one of the figures in Giacometti’s sculpture? Assisting others in engaging with a work of art brings me satisfaction.
My three favorite works of art to share with visitors at the DMA:
Shiva Nataraja, India, 11th century: The dancing figure, holding strange objects and surrounded by a ring of fire, mystifies and entices.
Oedipus at Colonus, Jean-Antoine-Theodore Giroust, 1788: The story of Oedipus always commands attention. Giroust captures the pathos of the final moments.
If you would like more information on the docent program at the Dallas Museum of Art, click here.
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