Docent Q&A
Q: What is the Art Docent Program?
A: The Art Docent Program is a visual arts program designed to allow children more opportunities to explore their art talents through educational art lessons and creative art projects conducted in the classroom.
Q: What is an Art Docent?
A: An Art Docent is a volunteer who presents a portfolio of artwork to a classroom of children and conducts a discussion to open the children’s eyes to the wonderful world of art. An art project is also facilitated by the Art Docent.
Q: How Can I Become an Art Docent?
A: If you are interested in and enthusiastic about art, and if you like working with children, please contact your school principal or fill out the Volunteer Form at Back To School night and the Head Art Docent will contact you. Once you are signed up, you will be contacted by your schools Head Art Docent and informed about orientation and training dates.
Q: What is a Portfolio?
A: A portfolio is a folder containing 6-8 large reproductions of artwork. There are 8 portfolios for each grade level, making a total of 56 for K-6 grades. Each portfolio has a different theme, and contains a lesson plan manual.
Q: What is a Portfolio Presentation?
A: Docents visit their children’s classroom once a month to make a presentation, which lasts between 20-30 minutes for Kindergarten-Grade 1, increasing up to 60 minutes for the upper grades. A Docent’s Portfolio Presentation focuses on questions and comments, games and other activities. They help children describe the artwork and analyze how the artists’ used color, shapes, and lines to interpret the moods, feelings and emotions expressed by the artists. They also learn biographical and historical information about the artists, their styles, media, and purposes in creating art.
Q: What are the Hands-On Art Lessons?
A: Art Docents will be trained and participate in the hands-on activities which are provided for each portfolio. These lessons are designed to enhance and extend the students’ appreciation of the artist and his/her work.
Q: What are the duties of a Head Art Docent?
A: A Head Art Docent at each school helps recruit volunteers, facilitates communication, assists in scheduling classroom sessions for presentations, maintains art supplies and inventories the contents of the portfolios as they arrive and leave their school.
Q: What are the responsibilities of the classroom teacher?
A: Teachers provide a suitable amount of time for the Art Docent’s presentation and remain in the classroom during the presentation. They can be involved with the hands-on lessons and are responsible for seeing that the class remains orderly for the lesson.
