Docent (Volunteer Tour Guide)

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Docents are important to the vitality of the Morris Museum of Art. They support educational tours & community programs. Without them, these would be impossible to carry out! To keep things buzzing, docents guide conversational tours for people of all ages (from 5 to 95) through the museum’s permanent galleries, volunteer at special events, serve as mentors & advisors to incoming docents, assist in art activities, and much more. Docents are supplied with continuing education sessions, lectures by staff, curators, and artists, workshops, tour shadowings, and resource materials.

A typical day might include the following:

• Discussing the basic elements of art with eager 5-year-olds
• Telling a wonderful story that allows a group of individuals to see a painting in an entirely new way
• Offering an engaging environment for an individual with Alzheimer’s to connect with art
• Exploring how math relates to paintings with students from a local middle school

This volunteer position may be for you if:

You like helping people. You are patient & cool under pressure. Teaching someone (anyone!) something new makes you feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

You communicate clearly. You speak eloquently & can explain just about anything to anyone.

You like learning new things. You hold an interest in art (even a tiny one) and would look forward to exploring our collection of Southern art during our training course.

You can think on your feet. When things change, you know how to roll with the punches.

You have some time to spare. You’re flexible. You can commit to a service of at least 36 hours a year for a 2-year span. Most tours happen during the week between 10am to 1pm, but anything is possible.

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To join our force, contact us at education@themorris.org to receive further details. Our next new docent training class begins in January 2017 and is an 8-week course.