Docent Volunteer Description
Docents are gallery teachers who guide school and adult tours of the Museum’s exhibitions and collections. Docent volunteers are an integral part of the Education Program at Tampa Museum of Art and are an essential link between the public and the Museum. Our docents play an important role in providing every visitor with a quality, engaging Museum gallery tour experience. They have a considerable amount of public, student and teacher contact. Under the direction of the Education Curator, docents are trained to deliver tours based on current museum pedagogical theory.
Responsibilities
- Attend scheduled docent training in order to remain current in educational trends and to learn the Museum’s exhibition material
- Deliver high-quality Museum tours from a developed roster of programming
- Maintain Tampa Museum of Art membership
- A minimum of a two year commitment, one for training, one as an active docent giving tours
Desirable Skills
- Communicators who enjoy listening and talking to people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds
- Ability to work independently, as well as within a team
- Patient, flexible, dependable with a good sense of humor
- Enthusiastic about learning and teaching
- A love of the arts
Upon completion of the training class, active docents receive:
- Private tours with curators and artists
- Validated parking for training and tours
- Docent cards for potential free or reduced admission to other museums
- Additional incentives for giving tours
Training
Training takes place every other Monday from 10:00-12:00 with additional training sessions scheduled as needed. Sessions include information about interpretive techniques and teaching methods as well as collections and exhibitions. Those interested can join the ongoing docent-in-training class at any time.