DOCENT HANDBOOK
2012-2013
Name:__________________
Compiled by:
MICHAEL CHRISS- UAMA Docent
OLIVIA MILLER- UAMA Curator of Education
Dear UAMA Docents,
Welcome to the UAMA docent program! The docent program has been a vital part of
the Museum’s Education Department for more than 30 years. As a docent, you are part
of a major research institution with a world class collection. It is you who introduces the
Museum’s collections and exhibitions to the public and inspires the new generations of
art lovers.
Thank you for your service to the UAMA and the community. We hope you continue to
share your love of art with our visitors for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Olivia Miller
Curator of Education
ABOUT THE UAMA AND ITS COLLECTION
Officially established in 1942 and supported by the growing collection of alumnus C.
Leonard Pfeiffer, the museum began its life inside of the Arizona State Museum, which
at the time, was the University library.* At this time, student enrollment was only 2,523
(today it’s almost 40,000!). In the early 1950’s, after a large donation of 60 works from
the Samuel Kress Foundation, construction on this current building began. The museum
now has over 6000 works of art ranging in date from the 35th century BCE to the present
day. Although some works are on permanent display, the museum averages 15
changing exhibitions a year. More than 24,000 people visit the museum each year with
over 200 group tours scheduled.
Key dates in the Museum’s history:

1955: Construction begins on current Museum building

1956: Museum opens its doors

1957: The Kress Collection is donated

1957: The Gallagher Collection is donated

1968: The museum changes its name from the Gallery to the University of
Arizona Museum of Art

1979: The Edward J. Gallagher Endowment is created to support the museum’s
collection

1980: The Museum received a gift from the widow of Jacques Lipchitz of the
artist’s sketches, models, and full-scale sculptures.

1981: The museum receives its first accreditation by the American Association of
Museums.

2003: The Jack and Vivian Hanson Endowment is created to support changing
exhibitions, in the amount of $2.5 million.

2006: The Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary.

2006: The 26 panels of the Retablo of Ciudad Rodrigo travel to the Kimbell and
Meadows museums for research and a monumental exhibition.
Museum Mission: Currently being revised. Stay tuned!
Education Mission: UAMA’s Education Department is committed to promoting the museum and
its collection as a University resource that fosters communication, collaboration, and academic
scholarship with interdisciplinary programming designed to empower and engage audiences of
all ages and experiences.
Education Vision: As a “teaching museum” we aim to enrich the entire University
community by integrating our programs into the academic vision of the University at
large. Through the lens of the visual arts, we strive to cultivate opportunities for inquiry
and create a foundation for learning in a variety of disciplines across the humanities,
science, and mathematics. Extensive interdisciplinary programming provides students
from early childhood through university levels with new ways of approaching art. The
museum functions as a learning environment that becomes a safe place for public
discourse and one that empowers every visitor by providing them with a new awareness
of visual culture.
Archive of Visual Arts Mission/Vision:
The vision of the AVA is to be a premier destination for the scholarly study of creativity
and history in the visual arts. This is accomplished through the collection, preservation
and availability of original source material to supplement exhibitions, publications and
educational programs. The AVA supports instruction, research and service to students
and faculty at the University of Arizona, researchers worldwide, and to the general
public online and on site.
DESCRIPTION OF THE UAMA COLLECTION
http://artmuseum.arizona.edu/collections.shtml
The University of Arizona Museum of Art houses wide-ranging collections of over 6,000
paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, with an emphasis on European and American fine art
from the Renaissance to the present. Special holdings within the Museum's collections include:
●C. Leonard Pfeiffer Collection
The C. LEONARD PFEIFFER COLLECTION, donated in 1944 by a UA alumnus, is comprised
of nearly 100 American paintings and drawings from the early 20th century. The collection
includes works by John Sloan, Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Isabel Bishop, Jacob Lawrence,
Reginald Marsh, John Steuart Curry, and Philip Evergood.
●Edward J. Gallagher, Jr. Memorial
The EDWARD J. GALLAGHER, JR. MEMORIAL COLLECTION features more than 200
European and American paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the late 19th and 20th
centuries. The sculpture holdings, considered one of the finest in the Southwest, include pieces
by Auguste Rodin, Jean Arp, Aristide Maillol, Alexander Archipenko, Jacques Lipchitz, David
Smith, Isamu Noguchi, Henry Moore, and Alexander Calder. The collection is particularly strong
in Abstract Expressionism, with important paintings by Morris Louis, Jackson Pollock, Mark
Rothko, Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. Other artists represented include Henri Matisse,
Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Joán Miró, Fernand Léger, Marc Chagall, Emil Nolde, and Kurt
Schwitters.
●Edward J. Gallagher, Jr. Memorial Bequest
The EDWARD J. GALLAGHER, JR. MEMORIAL BEQUEST, an endowment which funds the
selective growth of the permanent collection, has made possible since 1980 the acquisition of
more than 1,000 works of art, including pieces by Honoré Daumier, James McNeill Whistler,
José Posada, Käthe Kollwitz, Frank Stella, Richard Diebenkorn, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy
Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Elizabeth Catlett, and Robert Colescott. The majority of the
Gallagher Bequest acquisitions have augmented the Museum's substantial print collection,
which has extensive WPA/FAP holdings in addition to significant representation by Old Masters
such as Albrecht Dürer, Hendrik Goltzius, Jacques Callot, Rembrandt van Rijn, Giovanni
Battista Piranesi, Francisco de Goya, William Blake, John Martin, and Eugène Delacroix.
●The Jacques And Yulla Lipchitz Collection: Sketches And Models
THE JACQUES AND YULLA LIPCHITZ COLLECTION: SKETCHES AND MODELS, donated
by the artist's widow in 1980, includes 60 plaster and clay models by Lipchitz, various tools from
the artist's studio, numerous portrait busts, and several fully-realized sculptures. With its
intensive focus on the work of a single artist and its chronological range, spanning 1911 to
1971, this comprehensive collection provides rare access to the working process of one of the
most important sculptors of the Modern era.
● The Archive of Visual Arts
Founded in 2007, The Archive of Visual Arts (AVA) is located at 1014/1018 E. 6th Street (corner
of 6th St. and Park). Although housed in a separate building, the AVA holds an integral part of
the museum’s collections. The collection currently holds the works and documents of the artists,
Robert McCall and Sara Wallach. The AVA will continue to build its collection of artists’
sketches, notes, journals, correspondence, and other ephemera in order to support scholarly art
historical research as well as the study of the creative process and artistic technology. For
more information about the archive, contact the Archivist, Jill McCleary at 520-623-1124.
●Robert McCall Collection
The AVA has received its first major contribution. Robert McCall, an enormously gifted artist and
illustrator, is gifting over 200 paintings and drawings to the University of Arizona Museum of Art,
along with his full collection of documents and support materials to the Archive of Visual Arts.
This collection will chronicle his career as an artist and illustrator who created work for NASA,
national magazines, films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek, as well as his
museum exhibitions. Robert McCall's substantial gift will also offer insights into distinctions
between his career as a successful artist and as a sought-after illustrator. The AVA is continuing
to collect more artist’s archives.
● Public Art
The museum owns and cares for many of the public sculptures and art installations around
campus. A campus-wide collection of over 40 public sculptures, innovative public spaces, and
integrated artworks enliven the campus design, educate and engage students and faculty,
inspire the broader campus community, and enhance the vitality of Tucson and the aesthetic
experiences of its citizens. Public art enables the University of Arizona to establish a unique,
visual identity while contributing to the civic pride of the Tucson community. Under guidance
and direction from the UA Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC), the University of Arizona
Museum of Art & Archive of Visual Arts coordinates the UA Public Art Program and in doing so
strives to maintain a quality public art collection of diverse media and styles.
●Samuel H. Kress Collection
The SAMUEL H. KRESS COLLECTION, given in the early 1950s, consists of more than 60
European paintings, sculptures and decorative objects dating from the 14th through the 19th
centuries. A highlight of the collection is the 26 panel Retablo of the Cathedral of the Ciudad
Rodrigo by 15th century Spanish painters Fernando Gallego and Maestro Bartolomé (and their
workshops), which is not only the most important altarpiece produced by the Spanish masters,
but is also perhaps the finest example of late Gothic Spanish painting in a U.S. collection. In
addition the Kress holdings include paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, Jusepe de Ribera, Domenico
Tintoretto, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Horace Vernet and Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.
The Samuel H. Kress Collection at the University of Arizona represents a culmination of a most
pleasant and gratifying relationship between the University and the Samuel H. Kress
Foundation.
For more details of the Kress Collection:
http://artmuseum.arizona.edu/exhibitions/web/kress/exhibit1/e10001a.htm
http://www.kressfoundation.org/
The Samuel H. Kress Collection, sorted by wall/viewing order #
wall
view no.
1
1,2
2
1,2
3
Id#
Name
Title
Creator
Date
1961.013.002
Painting
The Incredulity of St. Thomas
Giuseppe Bazzani
c. 1730
1961.013.006
Painting
The Crucifixion
Guidoccio Cozzarelli
c. 1483
1961.013.013
Painting
Ciborium (also, 17 Scenes from Follower of Pacino di
c. 1325
the Life of Christ)
Bonaguida
1961.013.017
Painting
Portrait of a Young Artist
Giuseppe Ghislandi
c. 1735
1961.013.024
Painting
Portrait of a Young Man in
Oriental Costume
Giovanni Battista
Piazzetta
c. 1740
1962.009.004
Painting
St. Dominic
Follower of Sano di
Pietro
c. 1480
1961.013.031
Painting
The Creation of Eve
+xray pix
Maestro Bartolomé
after 1493
1961.013.046
Painting
Pilate Washing His Hands
+xray pix
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
sample styles
in retablo
4
1
1961.013.055
Painting
St. Mark and St. Thomas
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
2
1961.013.053
Painting
St. Andrew and St. Peter
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
3
1961.013.054
Painting
St. Bartholomew and St. John
the Evangelist
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
4
1961.013.037
Painting
Christ and the Samaritan
Woman
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
5
1961.013.039
Painting
The Raising of Lazarus
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
6
1961.013.047
Painting
Ecce Homo (also, Christ
Delivered by Pilate)
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
4
7
1961.013.044
Painting
The Agony in the Garden
Fernando Gallego and
1480-1488
Workshop
4
8
1961.013.045
Painting
The Betrayal of Christ
Fernando Gallego and
1480-1488
Workshop
5
1
1961.013.035
Painting
Changing the Water into Wine
Workshop of
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
5
2
1961.013.038
Painting
The Healing of the Blind
Bartimaeus
Workshop of
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
5
3
1961.013.052
Painting
The Last Judgment
Fernando Gallego,
Francisco Gallego and 1480-1488
Workshop
5
4
1961.013.030
Painting
Chaos
Maestro Bartolomé
after 1493
5
5
1961.013.033
Painting
Christ Among the Doctors
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
5
6
1961.013.040
Painting
The Supper in the House of
Simon
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
5
7
1961.013.042
Painting
The Entry into Jerusalem
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
6
1
1961.013.048
Painting
The Way to Calvary
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
6
2
1961.013.034
Painting
The Temptation
Maestro Bartolomé
after 1493
6
3
1961.013.041
Painting
The Transfiguration
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
6
4
1961.013.043
Painting
The Last Supper
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
6
5
1961.013.049
Painting
The Crucifixion
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
7
1
1961.013.050
Painting
The Deposition
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
7
2
1961.013.051
Painting
The Resurrection
Maestro Bartolomé
1480-1488
8
1
1961.013.032
Painting
The Circumcision
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
8
2
Painting
The Charge to Peter
Fernando Gallego
1480-1488
9
composition
models
10
James
Tissot
11
1 + Intro to
1962.009.001
Kress Coll.
Sculpture
Madonna and Child
Workshop of Luca
della Robbia
not dated (15th
century)
12
1
1962.009.005
Painting
St. Thomas Aquinas
Follower of Sano di
Pietro
c. 1480
13
1
1961.013.005
Painting
Pietà
Vittore Crivelli
c. 1481
14
1
1962.009.006
Painting
Two Olivetan Monks
Francesco Morone
c. 1505
14
2
1961.013.014
Painting
The Man of Sorrows with
Saints and Donors
Unknown French
c. 1525
14
3
1961.013.029
Sculpture
St. Michael the Archangel
Unknown Italian
Artist
not dated (mid
15th century)
14
4
1962.009.008
Painting
The Visitation
Giuseppe Maria
Crespi
c. 1710
15
1
1961.013.018
Painting
Venus Lamenting the Death of
Domenico Tintoretto
Adonis
15
2
1961.013.012
Decorative Cassone
16
1
1961.013.026
Painting
17
1
1961.013.001
18
1
18
2
18
1961.013.036
c. 1590
Unknown Italian
artisan
c. 1500
The Circumcision of the
Children of Israel
Studio of Giovanni
Battista de Tiepolo
c. 1735
Painting
Madonna and Child with
Angels
Niccoló di Ser Sozzo
Tegliacci
c. 1360
1961.013.007
Painting
Madonna and Child Enthroned Jacopo del Casentino
c. 1340
1961.013.021
Painting
Madonna and Child (also,
Madonna dell'Umilta)
1961.013.016
Painting
Madonna and Child Adored by
Follower of Agnolo
Two Angels (also, Madonna of
Gaddi
Humility)
c. 1350
3
Studio of
Bartolommeo
Bulgarini
c. 1350
18
4
1961.013.011
Painting
Coronation of the Virgin
Taddeo di Bartolo
c. 1405
18
5
1961.013.020
Painting
Madonna of Humility
Zanobi Strozzi
1446-48
18
6
1961.013.015
Sculpture
Virgin and Child (also,
Madonna and Child)
Unknown French
not dated
(second half of
the 14th
century)
1962.009.002
Painting
Madonna and Child
Follower of Michele
Giambono
c. 1450
1961.013.004
Painting
Virgin and Child
Studio of Lucas
Cranach, the Elder
c. 1513
1962.009.003
Painting
Madonna and Child with
Angels
Follower of Giovanni
c. 1475
di Paolo
1961.013.022
Painting
The Visitation
Master of the Retablo
1496-97
of the Reyes Católicos
1962.009.007
Painting
Pietà
Francesco di Bosio
Zaganelli
1961.013.003
Painting
Madonna and Child with Saints Vittore Carpaccio
c. 1515
1961.013.009
Painting
The Holy Family (with
Madonna Seated Near a Tree)
Follower of Andrea
del Sarto
c. 1525
1962.009.009
Painting
Head of a Bearded Man
Attributed to Marietta
c. 1580
Tintoretto
19
1
19
2
19
2
19
3
20
1
21
1
22
1
23
1
c. 1514
24
1
25
1
26
1
26
2
26
3
27
1
28
1
1961.013.019
Painting
The Consecration of St. Eligius Juan de Juanes
c. 1536
1961.013.023
Painting
Portrait of a Magistrate
Giovanni Battista
Moroni
c. 1570
1961.013.028
Painting
The Countess von Schönfeld
and Her Daughter
Elisabeth Louise
Vigee-Lebrun
1793
1961.013.008
Painting
Young Woman in a White
Dress
Attributed to Jacopo
da Pontormo
c. 1529
1961.013.010
Painting
A Greek Sage
Jusepe de Ribera
c. 1630
1961.013.027
Painting
Portrait of the Marchesa
Cunegonda Misciattelli with
Her Infant Son and His Nurse
Emile-Jean-Horace
Vernet
1830
1961.013.025
Painting
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia
Studio of Giovanni
Battista de Tiepolo
c. 1735
18
15
5
16
17
6
14
19
KRESS II GALLERY
KRESS I GALLERY
4
KRESS WALL
22
10
13
20
7
21
8
12
11
23
1
27
2
28
24
25
26
9
3
enter
WALL NUMBERING DIAGRAM
● THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA MUSEUM OF ART STAFF DIRECTORY
Christine Aguilar, Administrative
Assistant
vca@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-5676
Dennis Jones, Director
dennisj@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-5676
Beth Hancock, Public Art Coordinator
bhancock@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-9504
Kathleen Kearney, Business Manager
kkearney@email.arizona.edu
(520) 626-7978
John Kelly, Senior Exhibit Director
kelly@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-9503
Andy Leahy, Security Officer
aleahy@u.arizona.edu
(520) 621-7567
Museum staff can be reached at:
The University of Arizona Museum of Art
P.O. Box 210002
Tucson, AZ 85721-0002
(520)621-7567
(520) 621-8770 (fax)
Jill McCleary, Archivist
jillmccleary@email.arizona.edu
(520) 626-7187
Olivia Miller, Curator of Education
millero@email.arizona.edu
(520) 626-9899
Carol Petrozzello, Marketing Specialist
carolp@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-7568
Lauren Rabb, Curator
lrabb@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-9509
Kristen Schmidt, Registrar
kristen@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-9510
Kris Wagman, Security Supervisor
kwagman@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-7567
Sandra Um, Director of Development
sum@email.arizona.edu
(520) 621-2087
BASIC MUSEUM INFORMATION
Convenient visitor parking is available at the UA garage on Park Avenue just north of
Speedway Boulevard. (see map at: http://parking.arizona.edu/parkingmap/)
UAMA is handicapped accessible.
UAMA hours:




Tuesday - Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday - Sunday: Noon to 4 pm
Closed Mondays.
Closed University Holidays.
UAMA Admission:







Adult admission: $5.00 (unless as part of a school group tour)
Students, Faculty & Staff with ID: Free
Children: Free
Active Military with ID: Free
School, College & University Class Tours: Free (tour scheduling)
Museum Members: Free (membership information)
American Association of Museums members with current AAM membership card: Free
Bag and camera policies
All backpacks and large cases are to be checked at the front desk upon arrival.
Cameras are allowed without flash or tripod. Photos may not be published without proper
copyright procedures.
Location of restrooms, water fountain, elevator, dining/ATMs + UA locations of interest




Restrooms are located on the second floor, to the left of the staircase.
Water fountain at rear of museum sales area, on 1st floor.
Elevator to right of stairs in first floor lobby area.
Dining and ATMs: The UA Student Union and University Blvd. both have many dining
areas open to visitors.
POLICIES AND CONDUCT
●Dress code/badges
Docents should be dressed neatly if informally. Name badges should be prominently displayed.
●Rules for groups










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Groups must stay together
One chaperone for every ten students is required
Arrive five-ten minutes before the scheduled tour time.
Turn off cell phones.
Smoking, chewing gum, eating food or drinking beverages (including bottled water) is
not permitted.
Leave backpacks, large bags, umbrellas, food or drink at the Security Desk
Tripods and flash photography are not permitted.
Use only lead pencils for writing or sketching. Be sure not to point pencils at artworks or
use walls or pedestals as supports.
No touching of artwork.
No touching or leaning on the glass, wall labels, walls, or pedestals.
No running or jumping
●Procedures for unruly children
As docent guides, you create a meaningful and engaging learning experience for groups.
Although most students are excited to be at the museum on a tour, you will get the occasional
child who will disrupt the tour and for whatever reason will not be disciplined by his/her group
leaders. If this is the case, you can follow this guideline to steer the behavior in the right
direction.
1. If the child is talking out of turn or bothering the other children, begin by asking that child
a specific question about the art to answer. Usually children act out when they want
attention. Giving them the spotlight for a little while might do the trick.
2. If the child continues to express unruly behavior, give a verbal warning. Clearly explain
with a firm (but not scary) voice that they must raise their hand to speak and that their
behavior is distracting to everyone in the group. Usually this will stop the behavior but if it
doesn’t…
3. Ask one of the chaperones to please pull the child aside and talk with him/her and
remain with the child for the remainder of the tour.
4. If the behavior persists, the child can be warned about a time out, or actually put in time
out (for however long you think is fair) in the lobby with a chaperone and the security
guard.
5. If you find that the behavior is really out of control (or that there are multiple children
being unruly), then you can end the tour early and ask the group to leave.
It is unlikely that you will ever have to ask a group to leave, but you do have the freedom to
do this. It is not your responsibility to be a babysitter and discipliner. If you are no longer
able to lead the group through an organized learning experience and are concerned over
the safety of the artwork, then the tour should be ended and the group should be asked to
leave. Security staff will be there to help you to guide the group out of the museum.
*In the event that you get a parent or teacher complaint, please direct them directly to me. If
I am not in my office, give them my business card and ask them to get in touch with me. (I
keep a stack at the front desk).
●Emergency procedures
These will be discussed during docent training sessions with instructions handed out.
●Membership
All docents are required to become members of UAMA.
Museum members support the Museum mission through dues, active participation in fundraising
activities and service as volunteers. There are many types of membership including Basic,
Associate or Partner levels with a range of benefits. Go to the UAMA website for more
information or pick up a brochure at the museum.
●Meeting attendance
Docent meetings are held every Monday morning at 9:00am for new docents and 10:00am for
all docents, from mid-September through mid-May. The docent year ends with a potluck, hosted
by a fellow docent. New docents will occasionally be required to attend additional meetings, also
on Mondays, for specialized training. Docents are expected to attend at least ¾ of the annual
meetings and facilitate ten tours or events each year.
●Docent expectations

Strive to fulfill the education mission of UAMA

Act as an ambassador both at and away from the Museum.

Demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for the Museum and art.

Actively engage and respond to visors

Facilitate tours and other activities with the understanding that approaches might need to
be adjusted to fit the group.

Interact with and respect all people and their opinions.
●In addition docents should also:

Feel comfortable working in a team atmosphere with people of various backgrounds and
points of view

Be prompt, dependable, and timely in correspondence

Be comfortable speaking in front of a group

Be capable of standing for extended periods of time.
●DOCENT TRAINING PROGRAM

The training runs September through May on Monday mornings from 9:00am11:30am. (New docents only 9-9:30, break for coffee, 10am meeting with all
docents)

You can expect to learn about:
1. Art history, studio art and aesthetics.
2. Presentation and touring techniques.
3. Ways to engage groups of various ages and developmental stages.
4. Art historical approaches with special attention paid to works from the
Museum’s permanent collection

The training varies in approach from lectures, to partner and group work, to
visiting speakers, and field trips around town.

Do not expect a linear approach to learning the history of art. The trainings are
centered on the permanent collection and changing exhibitions. As such, there
will usually be a mixture of artists, styles, and time periods.

Expect to actively participate in group discussions and complete various
assignments and readings.

Each docent that is new to the docent program will “graduate” upon completion of
a mock tour that will be evaluated by the other docents and the Curator of
Education. These evaluation tours will be scheduled for April and May. The
docent guide chooses their theme and audience and leads their peers through
the tour. After completing the tours, the new docents will receive their tour
badges and can start leading school tours.
UAMA Docent SELF EVALUATION Form
As you build your touring experience, use this evaluation form as your guide. Self reflection after each
tour is a great way to grow as an experience docent.
Date
Yes/No
Audience
PREPARATION: Did you…
___
Walk the planned tour route prior to the tour to check the status of objects planned?
___
Arrive early and begin the tour on time?
INTRODUCTION: Did you…
___
Extend a warm welcome and introduce yourself to the visitors?
___
Exhibit a welcoming, confident, and enthusiastic attitude?
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Establish a rapport with the group?
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Give a general introduction to the museum and review museum rules?
___
Present a theme or purpose for the tour and explain what will happen?
COMMUNICATION: Did you…
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Use voice in a clear and audible manner?
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Appear at ease and passionate about the artwork?
___
Make eye contact with the audience?
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Allow time for looking in silence?
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Use VTS and ask: What’s going on in this artwork? What makes you say that?
___
Notice group reactions and adjust to interest levels, attention span, and language skills?
___
Compare, contrast, and create context for the artwork—historical, cultural and/or social?
___
Talk about the materials and methods of creating art?
___
Review, summarize, or paraphrase during the discussion?
CONCLUSION: Did you…
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Allot time well and complete the tour in approximately one hour?
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Provide a conclusion that summarized key ideas and encouraged further exploration?
___
Invite the group to come back?
DOCENT PROGRAMS
●Guided and Self-Guided Tours
The museum requires that groups of 8 or more contact the Education Department to
schedule a tour of the museum or public art. More than 200 group tours are scheduled
at the museum each year with approximately half of the tours led by docent guides.
Guided tours are completely customized to fit the needs of the group. After the
reservation has been made, the lead docent contacts the tour leader to discuss the
goals and structure of the tour. The docents then create a tour that reflects the desired
outcomes. Most guided tours are for K-12 school children, but on occasion docents will
lead tours for college students and other adult groups.
●Adult Outreach
Some docents are contributors to the Adult Outreach Program—a program completely
run and sustained by docents. UAMA docents give Powerpoint presentations in various
locations around Tucson including senior centers and the public libraries. These talks
are in an effort to share the Museum with Tucson and increase the public’s awareness
about the Museum. In addition, it’s a public service to the community, allowing for
people to experience art who otherwise do not have the means to do so. Docents have
the flexibility to pick their own topic of interest and they spend many hours planning and
researching their presentations prior to presenting them. The docent outreach team
meets a few times a year. If interested, please contact Carolyn Rivers
carolynriv@comcast.net or Carol Petrozzello carolp@email.arizona.edu to find out how
to get involved.
●Special Events
Apart from leading group tours at the museum, docents are needed for many special
events at the museum including exhibit openings, and annual fundraising events. The
tasks vary from welcoming visitors, to leading tours, to facilitating activities. There are
also other events on campus in which docent participation is needed such as the
Festival of Books. These opportunities will be announced in meetings and will be posted
on the docent Wikispace.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
●Procedures for signing up and giving a tour
There are two ways to sign up for tours. You will receive emails asking for tour guides in
which case you can respond to the email. Or you can sign up during the weekly Monday
meetings.
●Lead docent duties
If you have signed up as the lead docent for a tour, there are a few things that you will
need to be responsible for.
1. Contact the tour leader to confirm their reservation.
Here is an example of what you might say:
I am the lead docent for your tour at the University of Arizona, Museum of Art. I am
looking forward to your students joining us for a tour of the museum’s collection on day,
date, time. In order to be sure that we are meeting your student’s goals during your
visit, I would appreciate hearing from you if you have any specific themes, requests, or
outcomes that you would like us to address with your students during the tour.
Our collection of original artworks is broad with art dating from the early Middle Ages
through current times (in addition to special temporary exhibitions). We can insure that
your students are exposed to the full range of art, or a specific era, type or genre. Our
interest is to meet your needs and provide a tour that will enhance your teaching goals
and be a fun experience for your students.
Please contact me by either email (email address), or by calling my home at (phone
number), so that we can discuss the type of tour you wish to have. In addition, please
let me know if you have any special needs students who require an accommodation.
Please note: Tours are on a limited time frame, please have your students divided into
groups of 8 to 12, plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early and provide nametags for your
students so that we can give our introduction to the entire group before we go into the
museum galleries.
2. Contact the other docents who have signed up for the tour and inform them of this
information.
3. Arrive at least ten minutes early to the museum on the day of your tour.
4. Get parking permits for all docents leading the tour. See Katy, the business manager
about parking permits.
5. Don’t forget to record your hours!
●Logging in hours
Docents are to log in all their hours in a binder book kept at the front desk in the lobby.
Each docent has his/her own page in the binder for this purpose. This record of hours
shows the extent of the involvement of all volunteers and the contribution they make to
the UAMA. Activities included are tours, meetings, study at the UAMA or elsewhere,
time spent in travel to/from the UAMA, and any other activity that relates to your docent
work, whether at the UAMA or elsewhere.
●Parking passes
Parking should be done at the UA Car Park on Speedway and Park, near the UAMA.
Docents pay a $3.00 fee maximum when attending any activity at the UAMA, except
when they give tours, when the parking is free.
Upon leaving the Car Park, tell the cashier there that you are a docent and your fee will
be $3.00. If you have led a tour that day you will receive coupons from the Lead Docent
for that tour that will pay your parking fee in full. If you are the Lead (or only) docent
that day you can get the needed coupons from the front desk.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
●Here you can find out more detailed information about current and upcoming exhibits
at the UAMA. Keep checking back as the information is regularly updated.
https://uamadocents.wikispaces.com/
●This is the basic site for information about the museum, its activities, and its
collections:
http://artmuseum.arizona.edu/information.shtml
●List of libraries on campus
http://www.arizona.edu/libraries
●The Tucson Museum of Art also has a research library that is open to the public. The
books are not available for checkout, but you may go and do research on site.
http://www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/education/research-library.php
●Photocopier
A photocopier is available in the office at the rear of the Lipchitz Gallery.
[Use copier code: 95065]
●Props
A collection of props useful for docent presentations will be found in the store room at
the rear of the museum sales area.
●Curatorial files
Each artwork in our collection has a file associated with it. Object files are located in the
basement. If you are doing research on a work in our permanent collection and would
like to review the file, please arrange a time with Olivia Miller.
●Database [Past Perfect]
All objects in the UAMA collection and archives are entered in this data base, called
Past Perfect. Access to these files is through UAMA staff. Docents are encouraged to
use this base to do research for use in their tours.
●List of national museum organizations
National Art Education Association www.arteducators.org/
College Art Association www.collegeart.org
National Docent Symposium Council www.nationaldocents.org/
Tucson Association of Museums www.tucsonmuseums.org
American Associaiton of Museums www.aam-us.org/
●Helpful web resources such as NGA classroom, Getty Museum
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/: A very thorough timeline of the history of art
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/ Ideas for art lessons for every age group
http://www.getty.edu/education/ Includes museum education lessons as well as
professional evaluations of education programs.
●List of local museums, galleries, and other historic monuments

Center for Creative Photography

Tohono Chul Park

Arizona State Museum

Etherton Gallery

Arizona Historical Society

San Xavier Mission

Joseph Gross and Lionel Rombach

Pima Air and Space Museum
Gallery

Sonoran Glass Academy

Tucson Museum of Art

Temple of Music and Art

The Process Museum

MOCA

DeGrazia Gallery