Exhibition Docent

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Join us as an exhibition docent! We rotate exhibitions every 3-6 months so you learn new content each show and engage with diverse audiences from life-long learners to students of all ages.

Our summer 2019 exhibition opens March 21 and celebrates the 150 th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad! The exhibition will be made up of two parts: Mark Ruwedel: Westward the Course of Empire and Overland to California: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. Exhibition docents will guide groups through both exhibitions exploring themes with guests, answering questions and connecting people with California’s rich and diverse history.

Meet interesting people, get a behind the scene look at a small Historical Society, and support a small non-profit by engaging with the public!

More information about the exhibitions:

Mark Ruwedel: Westward the Course of Empire

In his series Westward the Course of Empire (1994-2008), photographer Mark Ruwedel (born 1954) documents the physical traces of abandoned or never completed railroads throughout the American and Canadian West. Built in the name of progress as early as one hundred and fifty years ago, these now defunct rail lines are marked by visible alterations to the landscape. Ruwedel catalogues eroding cuts, disconnected wooden trestles, decaying tunnels, and lonely water towers in quietly powerful images that point to the contest between technology and the natural world. Using a large-format view camera, Ruwedel treads the same territory as nineteenth century survey photographers, but his contemporary perspective brings a sense of loss to landscapes once viewed as exploitable resources.

Overland to California: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad

Overland to California draws from the California Historical Society's vast archival and photographic collections to consider the railroad's impact on the industry and culture of California. Featuring photographs, stereocards, historical objects, and ephemera, this exhibition explores how rail access to California contributed not only to population growth and industrial development, but also to the construction of the state's enduring mythology as a tourist destination and land of opportunity. Overland to California will also examine the railroad's complex labor history, taking into consideration the immigrant populations who built its infrastructure, as well as the scandals surrounding the monopolistic practices of the so-called "Big Four": Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins.