So, what is a docent? Well, depending on where in the world you live it could be many things. In the United States, I take the public on free museum tours. I prefer children, but I have given tours to adults. I have to say I would rather take a group of wild kids on a museum tour than adults. Adults have greater expectations. They just assume that I am an expert. I know everything about every piece of work at the museum. That is not how many museums work. I was trained to talk to people about art not shove information down their throats. Some people like that it is easier to receive information about the piece than it is to have to talk about it. It can be intimidating. Art is for everyone and you can feel however you want about it. Many times an artist will have a deep meaningful message about a piece. Sometimes the message is way over my head...so we just don't visit those pieces. Docents don't always give the same exact tour. It is always fun to follow them around for great ideas. If people asked me what my dream job would be? It would be a docent at a museum and get paid for it. It's a volunteer job and the only real qualification is you need a passion for art and you can communicate with a variety of people. Many times though with adults or nosey teachers I get frustrated and anxious and I feel like I have given a terrible tour. I have had some teacher stories especially when it isn't the tour they had in mind and they want to take over. I have been stopped on a tour once because I wanted to talk about a painting that had Jesus in it. Yes, if you want to go to a museum and see older paintings...like really old paintings. They are going to have Jesus, Mary, and Saints.
Here is a great example! I was assigned to talk about this piece in my training class for my test. I know all about it. It is from 1375 and painted by Italian artist Giovanni Fei. 20 years ago I would have just walked by this piece and spent two seconds on it and walked away. Do I want it in my house? No, but it is a beautiful piece, and it is in such wonderful condition. The teacher who stopped me from talking about it was concerned that I was trying to preach religion to her students. I rolled my eyes and I felt like telling her that I was an atheist. I could have told her 15 things about this piece that had nothing to do with faith. Seriously, one of the questions I ask the kids is " Are these people you would see at Target?"
Anyway, I love entertaining kids. I want them to come to the museum. I want them to walk away feeling excited, that art is for everyone, and that they want to come back again. Being a docent has given me a great deal of confidence and has taught me so much about the world. I wish I lived in a major city so I could be at museums all of the time. Also, having unlimited amounts of money would be helpful to see museums all over the world. I have only seem museums in the US, France, Germany, England and South Korea. The museums I would love to see are in St. Petersburg, Russia, Italy, Greece, China, and Austria.
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