Q&A: Docents Serve as Face, Voice of Art Museum

La Monica Everett-Haynes
April 23, 2013

Museum docents hold a very special place in the effort to share social, cultural and political knowledge and history documented through the arts.

At the University of Arizona Museum of Art & Archive of Visual Arts, the first docent program began in 1979. Today, a group of 45 people volunteer to serve as docents, facilitating tours and workshops both on and off campus about the body of work housed at the UAMA.

Ed Warner, who has served as a volunteer docent with the UAMA since 2006, said he is "still thrilled to be able to be this close to the art." Warner, notes that some visitors arrive with great disbelief at the authenticity and age of some of the museum's holding, said he takes great pleasure in "working with a great bunch of fellow docents and a wonderful group of staff members. They all make it fun to be at UAMA."

Katharina Phillips, who has been a UAMA docent for nearly three years, became involved with the museum after moving to Tucson. 

"I was a docent before, and I have been an art lover all my life," Phillips said, adding that volunteers provide "essential services" that ensure the success of museums. 

Warner and Phillips answered some of our questions about their service work as docents and what contributions the UA's museum is making in the lives of community members. This is the fourth feature in a six-part series exploring the history of the UA School of Art and UA Museum of Art.

Q: Why did you initially decide to serve as a UAMA docent, and what has been most meaningful to you in your time of service?

Warner: I was first taken to a docent meeting by Abby Root, who served as a docent for more than 20 years, and I wanted to have the opportunity to learn more about art and, then, share that knowledge with visitors to the museum. I watched as she would give tours to various groups and paid attention to how they learned and enjoyed their visit. I now give the tours, and it is extremely rewarding to see children, adults and college students get a better understanding of our paintings and how they fit into our history and even our contemporary lives.

Q: One initiative within UAMA has been to expand the level of outreach, particularly with more of an emphasis on offering programs in the community and with community needs incorporated. In your view as a community member and volunteer, why is such community-based programming so important? 

Phillips: The residents and visitors of Tucson are known for their interest in the arts. But the community is diverse. There are many resident artists, there is a large school system, there are many retirees, part-time or year round. How to prioritize among these groups, and how to engage the University community in the process? The UA Museum itself has limited funds and limited exhibition space, but there is no other resource, including expertise in art history and treasures of art works like it, in the state of Arizona.

Q: Docents are revered for their contribution for preserving and advancing cultural and historic understandings. How would you describe the contribution you try to make in the lives of UAMA visitors? And based on your experiences, what impact does community-based art education have?

Warner: With the volume of media available today, it is no less important to see how we got here. Having discussions with visitors about painting made during the Renaissance or in 20th century America helps them connect to the past in a way that discussions alone cannot. I am a photographer by training  and I have been involved with that my whole professional life.  However, I have always had a passion for art and I found that being a docent is a great way to learn, renew and pass on that passion. 

Phillips: There are many ways to demonstrate the impact of art in and on a community. Some will cite medical studies that show how the exercising of both sides of the brain benefits people at all stages in their lives. Others will talk about the eyes of a child lighting up when he or she suddenly experiences something new or recognizes something that matters a great deal in his or her own life. Adult learners often seek to enjoy art as one of the aspects of life on which they never had time to spend while they were still working. Yet others are interested in a deeper understanding of the various art periods, or in delving into the intricacies of different art media. Some like to fill the gaps between art experiences they had while traveling in the U.S. or abroad. In this context, it is important to remember that the impact of the arts is not restricted to formal art education. Indeed, the UAMA's outreach activities always try first and foremost to elicit individual response and to succeed in creating an arts experience, rather than offering lessons. 

Q: What are some of your favorite pieces in the UAMA collection, and why?

Warner: Almost the whole Samuel H. Kress Collection. I am fascinated by our ability to be this close to the painters of the Renaissance and their connection to the Spanish world of Isabella and Ferdinand, the Catholic kings. We have an image of their daughter Juana in one of our paintings, and the Retablo was painted during their reign.

Phillips: When you become a docent, you start to look at art somewhat differently than before. There is still that personal affinity, that immediate response of delight in the craft, the theme and the execution of the piece you look at. As a docent, you also take delight in art that allows you to help others to enjoy the art you love. You seek out pieces that allow you to demonstrate the state of mind of artists at different time periods, and art works that show the intricacies of their craft as they explore different media. One gets fascinated by the emotion artists experience as they prepare their work and how they use composition and color to make their point. You understand the power of "ugly" paintings and the intrinsic value of understanding art that shows horror and pain to which we would otherwise close our eyes.

Interested in volunteering with the UAMA under the Docent Program? Visit the volunteer page for more information and to fill out the application, or call Olivia Miller, UAMA's curator of education, at 520-626-9899.

Photo credit: Patrick McArdle/UANews

This is the fourth feature in a six-part series exploring the history of the UA School of Art and UA Museum of Art.

 

Share

Resources for the media