Docent Programs and Resources
2006 Provisional Docent Training
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Docent training is an intensive program designed to provide you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to lead interpretive tours of the Morris Museum of Art. The training is organized into discrete modules. All trainees must complete module 1 and at least on additional module. Select modules based on you interest and your time availability. Within each module, trainees should attend all training sessions and complete assigned readings and research assignments. Instructors are listed in parentheses after the class title. If you are unable to attend a training session, it is your responsibility to contact Drew Brown, Associate Curator, Educations Services, for a tutorial.
During training, you will have the opportunity to meet several experienced docents. A docent will be assigned to you as your mentor for the provisional docent training program. This person has volunteered to accompany you on practice tours and on your first "live" tours.
Training sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 9:45–11:45 a.m. Unless otherwise notified, the training program will be held in the auditorium, located on the first floor. Please park in spaces at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame's Botanical Gardens parking lot; the museum does not own or control the rest of the parking lot, and the building management may tow vehicles without notice.
MODULE 1—Core Docent Training
September 26—Orientation (Janann Reynolds)
- Morris Museum: mission, history, collection, programs (fact sheet; history, video)
- Docent Program: policies, commitment, handbook orientation, tour and scheduling procedures
- Orientation tour, including an introduction to the Center for the Study of Southern Art
- Emergency/safety training by Rex Bell, chief of security
READ: Docent Handbook, introduction and chapter 1; 5th Anniversary, pp. 5–7; MMA fact sheet; A Decade in Review (scan entire book)
October 3—Art Appreciation (Janann Reynolds)
- Elements and principles of art (videos)
- Appreciation exercises (paired)
- Introduction to media
- Take-home art critique assignment
READ: Docent Handbook, chapters 2, 3, and 6
October 10—Orientation: Antebellum, Civil War, Genre Galleries (Drew Brown)
- Art appreciation exercise/review
- Gallery orientation
- Appreciation exercise, including art research (paired)
READ: Docent Handbook, chapters 4 and 5; 5th Anniversary, pp. 9–13; relevant artist information sheets**
October 17—Orientation: Still Life, Landscape, Southern Impressionism Galleries (Drew Brown)
- Feedback on art appreciation assignment
- Gallery orientation
READ: Docent Handbook, chapters 7 and 9; 5th Anniversary, pp. 13–22; relevant artist information sheets**
October 24—Orientation: 20th Century, Contemporary Galleries (Drew Brown)
- Gallery orientation
- Appreciation exercise, including art research (paired)
READ: Docent Handbook, chapter 10; 5th Anniversary, pp. 22–37; relevant artist information sheets**
October 31—Tour Planning (Janann Reynolds, Sarah Alexander)
- General tour objectives, artwork selection, interpretive strategies
- Tour review and discussion (if possible)
- Review of tour and scheduling procedures
READ: Docent Handbook, chapter 11
MODULE 2—Artstart Tour Training (Pre-K—2nd Grade Students)
November 7—Artstart Tour Orientation (Janann Reynolds)
- Characteristics of the pre-school and early elementary student audience
- Tour objectives, interpretive strategies, artworks
- Take-home assignments: Artstart tour plan
READ: Docent Handbook, chapters 4 and 5; tour plan
November 14—Artstart Tour Training (Janann Reynolds, emeritus docents)*
- Small group activity: Artstart tour practice and feedback
READ: Docent Handbook, chapters 7 and 8
*Tour reviews will be scheduled at this session. Please bring your personal calendars with you today.
MODULE 3—Adult General Tour
November 21—Adult Tour Orientation
- Characteristics of the adult and senior audience
- Tour objectives, interpretive strategies, artworks
- Take-home assignment: adult general tour plan
READ: Docent Handbook, chapter 5, pp. 38–39
November 28—Adult Tour Training (Janann Reynolds, emeritus docents)*
- Small group activity: adult general tour practice and feedback>
*Tour reviews will be schedule at this session. Please bring your personal calendars with you today.
MODULE 4—Georgia Studies Tour (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th grade students)
December 5—Georgia Studies Tour Orientation (Janann Reynolds)
- Characteristics of the late elementary and middle school student audience
- Tour objectives, interpretive strategies
- Review of artworks
- Tour review and discussion
READ: tour plans; relevant artist information sheets**
December 12—Georgia Studies Tour Orientation (Janann Reynolds, emeritus docents)*
- Small group activity: GA studies tour practice and feedback
*Tour reviews will be scheduled at this session. Please bring your personal calendars with you today.
**For those newcomers who may not be familiar with the South, we suggest reading a book about Southern history and culture. We recommend the very entertaining and informative book by John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South (New York: Doubleday, 1996).
Recommended Readings for Trainee Docents
Mandatory Readings:
National Docent Symposium Council. The Docent Handbook. Berkeley, CA: 2001.
Since this book is basic to the course, it is highly recommended that docents in training purchase it. The information provided in this book is a helpful resource during training and as a guide afterward. It was largely written by experience docents, so it is based on solid experience. Books are available for purchase in the museum store and reading copies are available in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Gruber, J. Richards and Estill Curtis Pennington. 5th Anniversary: Celebrating Southern Art. Augusta, GA: 1997.
This book summarizes the Morris Museum's art acquisitions during its first five years. The essays by J. Richard Gruber and Estill Curtis Pennington provide a concise history of Southern painting during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As this book is an important reference tool for trainees, it is highly recommended that trainees purchase this book. Copies are available in the museum store and for reading in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Optional Readings:
Chambers, Bruce. Art and Artists of the South. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1984.
This book documented the works of art that formed the Coggins Collection, which later became the core collection of the Morris Museum of Art. Copies available for reading in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Grinder, Alison L. and E. Sue McCoy. The Good Guide: A Sourcebook for Interpreters, Docents and Tour Guides. Scottsdale, AZ: Ironwood Press, 1985.
This book provides in-depth information on learning in museums, specific techniques and methods of touring, characteristics of visitor groups and development of communication skills. Copies for purchase are available in the museum store; reading copies are available in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Howorth, Lisa, ed. The South: A Treasury of Art and Literature. New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1993, pp. 75–102, 104–146, 182–232, 272–291, 331–339, 351–355.
Excerpts from this book include a variety of short literary and historical documents reflecting Southern history and cultural expression. Southern works of art, including several works from the Morris Museum collection, are liberally included throughout the text. Copies available for purchase in the museum store or for reading in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Hughes, Robert. American Visions. VHS. Alexandria, VA: PBS Home Video, 1996.
This recently released video series (8 videos) provides an insightful introduction to American art. As American art history will not be reviewed in this training course, it is recommended that trainees review these videos. Copies available for purchase in the museum store or for viewing in the Center for the Study of Southern Art.
Pennington, Estill Curtis. A Southern Collection. Augusta, GA: Morris Museum of Art, 1992.
This book is the primary resource on the permanent art collection of the Morris Museum. Copies are available for reading in the Center for the Study of Southern Art and in the galleries.
Reed, John Shelton and Dale Volberg Reed. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
This humorous yet authoritative book is filled with information about the history, politics, art, literature, and culture of the American Southeast. It provides an excellent introduction to the South for the non-Southerner.
For further reading on Southern art, please consult the bibliography in the docent handbook.
