Exhibition Docent

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Join the California Historical Society as an exhibition docent! The California Historical Society is looking for enthusiastic volunteers docents for upcoming exhibitions. We seek passionate, dedicated individuals who care deeply for California history and will engage in our exhibitions and programs as well as participate in the Docent program. We rotate exhibitions every six to ten weeks and each exhibition brings a new topic related to the state at large. Docents provide hour-long tours which explore the history, key themes, and ideas of an exhibition to small groups of museum guests.

Founded in 1871, the California Historical Society is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire and empower people to make California’s richly diverse past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. We hold one of the richest collections of primary and secondary materials in the state on California’s social, cultural, economic, and political development.

Our Fall 2019 exhibition The Life and Work of Mabel McKay opens in September and runs through March 2020. The Life and Work of Mabel McKay tells the story of a renowned basket weaver, healer, culture bearer, and inspiration. Mabel McKay (1908-1993) was a member of the Long Valley Cache Creek Pomo tribe from Northern California, and was the last speaker of her language. She was also the last of the Pomo dream doctors, and healed both Native and non-Native patients through traditional medicine. She became widely recognized as one of the greatest basket weavers of the 20th century, and traveled great distances to teach others and share her cultural traditions. McKay lived through almost the entirety of the 20th century, a time period that was often difficult to be California Indian and a woman. Featuring intricately woven baskets, historic photographs, media, and more, this exhibition celebrates her legacy.