KEEPING UP WITH THE DOCENTS
Docents visiting the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill.
April 2010
High School Art Show
Congratulations to docent Kay Fuchs’ granddaughter Lauren Fuchs of Reitz Memorial High School for winning the John W. Streetman Best of Show Award in the 47th Annual High School Art Show! Her oil painting is entitled Lauren Shea and it is outstanding! Fifteen local high schools participated and with hundreds of submissions the competition was intense. In the words of William Brown, the Juror and Professor & Chair of the Art Department at the University of Evansville, “I looked for those works of art that commanded a presence and indicated sensitivity for the subject; those works that sparked my curiosity; that were intriguing; had energy and excitement; as well as having some evidence of investigation.”
I am always impressed by the quality of the work submitted for this show, and this year was no exception. If you have not had a chance to peruse the student work in this exhibit, please put it on the top of your to-do list. It is an exceptional show!
Trip to Paris/Nice
Carmen Ruckman presented a proposal for a 2011 trip to Paris/Nice and has only heard from a few people. She needs at least twelve people to commit to the trip to make it worth organizing, so if you are interested, please email Carmen at vcruckman@wowway.com. She is willing to extend the deadline until the end of April, then will open it up to her friends and the general public since it is not an official Museum-sanctioned trip.
Columbus, IN
Sue King has agreed to be our new Enrichment Chair, taking over for the incomparable Paula Riggs. Working with Paula, Sue has proposed a one-day June 16 trip to Columbus, Indiana where the “American Institute of Architects ranked Columbus 6th in the nation of innovation and design.” We would see two pieces by glass artist Dale Chihuly, take a walking tour of the architecture of Columbus, view the Bloomington Watercolor show and dine at the Joe Huber Family Restaurant in Starlight, IN on the way back. And all of this for only $100.00! Put the date on your calendar and watch for more information.
Tour Techniques Training
On May 3 after the exhibition training, there will be Tour Techniques training for all docents. In this session we want to hear from you! Share your challenges, solutions, tips, and tricks. I just had a situation this week in which my inattention messed up someone else’s tour and the other docent really had to punt (I promise to try not to let it happen again). If you have examples of tour disasters, let’s hear about them, and tell us how you dealt with them! What techniques do you use to liven up your tours, or to handle a rowdy group (not that we ever get any of those!)? Are there processes that you think should be re-examined? Bring us your stories (funny, moving, surprising, etc.), suggestions, and grievances. Kudos are always welcome so be sure to share what’s going well also. This session is about sharing!
VERY Busy Touring Season
Have you signed up for any tours lately? If not, you only have to look at the emails that Stephanie is sending out to see the volume of tours that we have already for April and May and the calls are still coming. We need everyone’s help as April and May are traditionally our busiest months. Be sure to check the tour calendars when you are at the Museum, and respond to the emails that go out frequently this time of year. Thanks to all of you for your willingness to jump in!
Have a great month and see you on May 3rd!
Cheryl
March 2010
What an exciting time to be a docent at the Evansville Museum! There is so much going on, including new exhibits, the upcoming opening of the renovated Old Gallery and the Richardt Room, a possible European trip, and of course our Fabulous Eight! Of course I’m referring to our new docents who graduated and received their official name badges on Monday, March 1. We are delighted that they have chosen to share their considerable talents, expertise, and interests with us. As docents we are ambassadors for the Museum with the schools and the community and we are pleased that our new docents have jumped right in for tours and volunteering.
2010-2011 DPC Officers
At the Membership Meeting Gayle Begley put forth the slate of Docent Planning Committee officers for 2010-1011: President Elect, Bonnie Noe; Vice-President, Becky Zimmermann; and Secretary-Treasurer, Helen Deig. These candidates were presented to the Docent Association and unanimously elected. Congratulations! They will take office at the spring meeting in June.
Trip to Paris/Nice
Carmen Ruckman, whose husband teaches French at North High School, presented a proposal for a European trip for the Museum family next year. She proposed a six-day trip to Paris or a nine-day trip which would include Nice. Her husband has taken students to Europe numerous times and works through NETC Educational Travel to arrange the trips. These trips are all-inclusive, with the exception of lunches and miscellaneous admissions, souvenirs, etc. Carmen needs at least twelve people to start organizing a trip, so if you are interested, please email Carmen at vcruckman@wowway.com no later than March 31!
Old Gallery Opening
Put March 13 and 14 on your calendars! As you know, the Old Gallery has been undergoing renovations and the Grand Opening is March 13 and 14! The renovations include the creation of The Richardt Room which will be used for luncheons, meetings, and other smaller gatherings. The Museum is also taking the opportunity of this opening to kick off the public part of the capital campaign. An astonishing thirteen million dollars have already been raised and the Museum needs to raise an additional 4.5 million dollars to accomplish the addition to the current facilities and the new planetarium. We will need everyone to participate any way you can! Watch for more information!
As I said, exciting things are going on at the Evansville Museum!
Cheryl
February 2010
Okay, so is anyone else tired of winter? I’ve lived in snow country (central and northern New York state) most of my life but I guess I’ve gotten spoiled by Evansville’s mild winters over the last seven years. I’m ready for spring! Thinking forward to spring makes me think of our March 1 Membership meeting at the Begley Art Source (I’ve opted NOT to refer to it as our Winter Membership meeting!), and the graduation of our eight docent trainees. They have done themselves proud; jumping right in shadowing tours and helping out with special programs. We are very fortunate that they will be joining us and we look forward to their active participation. Good luck on your full Highlights tours in the next two weeks!
Carmen Ruckman has brought to us two proposals for an exciting Museum trip to Europe in 2011. Her husband teaches French at North H.S. and is very experienced in leading student trips abroad. General information has been emailed to all docents and we will discuss a possible European trip at the March meeting. Think how much fun it would be!
Finally, thank you to Corinne and to the docents who participated in the mummy training on Monday. It’s a challenging and exciting program to do and the kids have a ball with it (especially pulling the brain out through the nose and removing the intestines)! If you have suggestions or questions about the “script”, please feel free to email them to me.
Cheryl Marshall
January 2010
Happy New Year!
Below are more photos from the Christmas party at Gayle Begley’s lovely home. Once again her hospitality got our holiday season off on the right foot.
We are off to a running start with tours and I hope that everyone will check the schedule for tours that need to be covered. You will note some changes at the Museum, in particular that the Museum will be closed on Tuesdays as well as Mondays until February 23. You have probably also noticed that parking on the south side of the building is once again accessible. The staff is in the process of re-establishing the Science Center and Family Place since construction on the Museum addition has been postponed. However, the Museum will be proceeding with some of the smaller projects that were a part of the overall master plan such as the remodeling of the Old Gallery and some necessary repairs. These changes should not affect our tours, at least not as much as EVSC budget cuts and spring ISTEP! It will be a challenging semester!
We have some training coming up for all docents so be sure to mark the dates on your calendars. On January 11 we will offer the updated 1st grade Discovery outreach training at 9:00 am. A copy of the revised script will be emailed to all docents and I encourage you to print it out. If you are not receiving emails please let Stephanie know and she will see that notices (like this newsletter) will be mailed to you.
On February 1 there will be Emergency training for all docents at 10:00 am followed by mummy outreach training for all those interested in learning this fun program. I am in the process of reworking the script (okay, I admit it; I have a tendency to be wordy). This is a popular program so I hope that many of you will take the time to attend the training session!
Cheryl Marshall
December 2009
The annual Christmas party at Gayle Begley’s got the season off to a great start and I hope that you will all have a peaceful and festive holiday with family and friends. Prior to the party, some of the docents were sharing funny stories about their tours and Sarah Karges would like to put them into our scrapbooks for posterity. So if you have any experiences that you would like to share with other docents please write them down and snail mail or email them to Sarah!
Speaking of Tours:
We have had a very busy Fall touring season and we want to thank everyone who volunteered to lead the many on-site and outreach tours. Please check the schedule from time to time to see what tours are coming up. Since the new building construction has been postponed there should be little, if any, interruption in our normal museum tours. Also, Family Place and the Science Gallery will soon be returned to operation. The parking situation should already be alleviated and we will no longer have to trek from the “back 40” through construction debris to get to the museum! Halleluiah!
Mark your Calendars:
January 11: Tour Techniques Training. This is for all docents. Training will be on the updated 1st grade outreach program.
February 22: High School Art Show Judging Day. It is amazing to see the quality of work that is being produced by the high school students and to shadow the judge as he/she makes determinations about what will make it into the show, and what will win prizes.
Peace and Joy!
Cheryl
November 2009
What a busy time! Stephanie and I had a very successful trip to the National Docent Symposium in Toronto and our presentation on our “Tell Me a Story” tour fit right into the theme of symposium which was “Crossing Borders--Bridging Cultures”. In his keynote speech “A Storytelling Perspective on the Art of the Docent”, Dan Yashinsky talked about stories making the objects come alive and “dance beyond their frames”. As docents we are all storytellers and it’s the stories that engage the listeners and open up the conversations. Toronto is a fabulous city and meeting docents from across the country and Canada and sharing ideas is what makes attending the symposium so enriching. I came back from the Phoenix Symposium two years ago with the idea for the mummy outreach program and Toronto gave me some new ideas!
Art Gallery of Ontario
Frank Gehry, Staircase Galleria Italia
Royal Ontario Museum Stephanie Gerhardt during our presentation
The history outreach program put together by Gloria Speer, Larry Miller, and Lois O’Neill is really exciting and we thank them for all the time they invested in it. The training held Monday introduced everyone to the program which we expect to be very popular in the schools!
We will also be conducting more training for “Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Egypt”. We have many opportunities coming up to participate in this program so you’re encouraged to shadow any of the upcoming presentations. It’s really a fun program and the kids really enjoy it! More information regarding date, time, and sign-up will be forthcoming.
Mark your calendars for Monday, November 9 at 10:30 for the Fall Membership Meeting! Note that the meeting will be held at the Begley Art Source and not in the Old Gallery! Chris Jackson will give us a tour of the Art Source, and Stephanie and I will share some of our Toronto symposium experiences. See you then!
Cheryl Marshall
October 2009
Springfield Trip
Paula Riggs did another outstanding job in planning the trip to Springfield, IL. We toured the extraordinary Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, the Lincoln home and “neighborhood”, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Library, the Old State Capitol, the Executive Mansion, and the Lincoln Tomb. The weather cooperated and provided a gorgeous early fall backdrop for our travels. (It seems that all the rain that was predicted jumped right over Springfield and fell on Evansville!) All of the tours were guided with the exception of the Presidential Museum and it is very interesting to see a variety of touring styles. Some of the guides were very enthusiastic, others more pedantic. Some were quite dramatic, others more down to earth. We had to empathize with the guides who repeated themselves because they had been giving back to back tours all day! I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know that I have done that a time or two!
Who says its all work and no play? Guess who?
Lincoln Family Home Mel, "shaking hands with history."
As you have read here before, Paula is stepping down as Enrichment Chair and we need someone who enjoys travel and has a flair for detail and organization to step in. These enrichment trips are very important to our organization and are a great opportunity to get to know each other better and enjoy the camaraderie of the group. If you would like more information about this special job, please contact Paula.
New Docent Training
Good luck to the new docents who started their training last week…they are joining a terrific organization and I hope that they will find it very rewarding. A first glance of the training manual can be overwhelming but we’ve all been there, so if you get a chance to encourage a new docent, please do so!
Anthropology Chair
Mary Ann Ziegler has let us know that she will be going inactive and will not be able to continue as Anthropology Chair. The Chair leads new docent training in the Humankind Gallery. Gloria Speer is set to conduct the Plains Indians training and we need someone to teach about the Southwest, Pacific Coast, and Northwest Indians. Co-Chair Andrea Wannemuehler is organizing the training in the rest of the Gallery. Please help!
Cheryl Marshall
September 2009
The Welcome Coffee was a resounding success and it was great to see everyone after the summer. Thanks to Sarah Karges and her team for providing the delicacies we enjoyed. The Museum is undergoing lots of exciting changes and we will have to be at our adaptive best in the upcoming year of renovations and expansion. But we are equal to the challenge!
The new docent trainee class looks fabulous! Seven individuals came to the orientation session held today (the 14th). Let’s all welcome them and encourage them as they go through their training! Remember, we were once where they are now!
Docent Trainees: Diana Patrick, Dick Roe
Left to right: Anita Louthan, Cindy Warren, Becky Kamp, Kathleen Marley, Sue King
Diana Patrick has returned to Evansville looking for a challenge after 28 years away, and Dick Roe is a retired engineer interested in history, particularly Civil War history. After raising her family, Anita Louthan currently works part-time in real estate and was inspired by her brother-in-law who is a zoo docent in Cincinnati. Cindy Warren is retired and ready to move in a different direction. Becky Kamp was a history major in college and was inspired by a docent-led tour this summer on Edisto Island (thank you docents who are such inspirations!) Kathleen Marley retired from teaching after 34 years and misses talking about history—imagine that! Finally, Sue King is retired and her friend Bonnie Noe convinced her that being a docent is fun! This looks like a terrific group and we are excited to have them share their talents and enthusiasm with us!
Cheryl Marshall
August 2009
I hope you have all been enjoying the cooler than average summer weather…I know I have! I can’t believe that it is August already and time to think about school starting up and a new season of fresh, happy faces at the Museum.
The best news of this summer is that Andrea Wannemuehler will not be leaving us! She will be able to complete much of her Master’s coursework online and will go to Savannah periodically for projects. Among Andrea’s many talents is jewelry-making and she has several of her beautiful, whimsical pieces in the Museum gift shop. Congratulations on her reception and show that took place in July! Also, Andrea has volunteered to Co-Chair Anthropology with Mary Ann Ziegler and we look forward to her participation in the Humankind Gallery training.
History Outreach
Gloria Speer, Larry Miller, and Lois O’Neill are putting the finishing touches on the Early Evansville/Pioneer History Outreach program and will have it ready for unveiling in the fall. This program is primarily geared for 4th grade but is adaptable to other groups. The founding of Evansville and Pioneer life (especially from the perspective of children) form the basis of this program. In addition to information about Hugh McGary and Robert Evans, artifacts taken from the covered wagon, and toys, the team has included the interesting story of the Founding tree. Thank you to Gloria, Larry, and Lois for putting together what should be a very popular new outreach program.
Science
The Science docents, Diane Thweatt, Prabha Ganesh, and Becky Zimmermann have been working with the Science department to adapt their tours to their new venue in the Planetarium, since the Science area is out of commission due to construction. They will really be doing some “creative science” out of their temporary facilities. They also need more help giving science tours, so if you’d like to be a Science docent or assist with set-up talk to Diane!
Volunteers Needed!
Enrichment Chair
After the Springfield trip Paula Riggs is stepping down as Enrichment Chair. This is a terrific opportunity for someone who likes to travel and is detail-oriented. Many thanks to Paula and Lin Fellwock (who will continue to assist) who have done a fabulous job planning previous trips.
Early Childhood Development Chair
We are also in need of someone to replace Lois O’Neill as Chair of Early Childhood Development. The primary responsibility of this position is to conduct the training for the Pre-K and First Look tours.
Historian
Sarah Karges has done a wonderful job as Historian but is ready to let someone else take over this position. Her scrapbooks have documented our activities in a beautiful format for several years. If you would be interested in continuing this tradition for the Docent Association please contact Sarah.
Working Together Exhibit
Don’t miss the exciting Working Together exhibit where two of our own, Connie McConaughy and Andrea Wannemuehler, had pieces selected for inclusion! This is a juried show sponsored by the Arts Council and just highlights the special talents of our docents and staff!
Welcome Coffee, August 24, 9:30 am
Be sure to put the Welcome Coffee on your calendars if you haven’t already done so! We will receive training on the fascinating Silverpoint exhibit, and have an opportunity to meet potential new docents. I encourage you to bring a friend to share the fun of being a docent!
Cheryl Marshall
June 2009
It has been a very busy year and I am proud of all we have accomplished! Thank you to everyone who stepped up to conduct the many spring tours…it wouldn’t happen without you! Also, thank you to the Docent Planning Committee members who keep the Docent Association running smoothly. Finally, many thanks to those who dedicated their time and talents in planning new programs and revamping current ones.
We now have two new outreach programs: “Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Egypt” and the art video featuring Chris Thomas and Jerome Duerson which was unveiled at the June meeting. The video was the brain-child of Suzanne Aiken and Gayle Begley, was written by John Streetman, and filmed and edited by Pat O’Connor. It is intended for use by middle school art teachers but may well be used at higher levels. It is one more example of the museum reaching out to the community.
Two other outreach programs are in the works: an Early-Evansville/Pioneer history outreach for upper elementary students, and an expanded puppet program for pre-school and kindergarten levels. We have also reconfigured the 1st grade outreach program following docent input received last fall during Tour Techniques training. The updated script will be e-mailed to all of you for further comments and suggestions.
Receiving Four Stars, Becky Zimmermann
Receiving Two Stars, Gaylia Carlton
Receiving One Star, Cheryl Marshall, Bonnie Noe
and Prabha Ganesh
The June meeting at the YWCA was delightful, and in addition to unveiling the art video, several docents were awarded new badges with service stars. Becky Zimmermann and Larry Miller have both qualified for FOUR stars…an amazing 20 years of docent service! Congratulations to you both! Gaylia Carlton received TWO stars for 10 years of service! The Museum is so lucky to have the benefit of your time and talents. In addition, Prabha Ganesh, Bonnie Noe, Marty Barancik, and I qualified for our first star, for 5 years! Susan Huelsmann has also qualified for her first star but has recently become inactive due to upcoming surgery and will receive her badge when she returns to service. Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that it is an honor and a pleasure to represent the Museum as part of such an exceptional organization!
The busy spring school season may be finished, but there are tours throughout the summer so check in from time to time! I have two challenges to leave you with as we end this year and contemplate a new one: first, add one new tour to your repertoire next year; and second, try to bring one person to the August Coffee who might be interested in joining our ranks.
Also, be sure to check out the new Museum website at emuseum.org. It is fabulous, and Stephanie is working on instructions to show us how to sign up for tours online. In the meantime, have a fabulous summer and see you at the Coffee on August 24!
Cheryl Marshall
May 2009
I hope you are checking the tour calendar regularly as the first three weeks in May are jam-packed, and Stephanie and Andrea are even scheduling tours into July! We need everyone to pitch in and pick up some tours to get us through the busy May season.
It’s interesting to see how the requested tours change from year to year. This year we have a ton of EMTRAC and Pioneers & Plains Indians tours and fewer Highlights tours. Since I have yet to do a Pioneers tour (my first one is this week!) I shadowed one of the experts…Larry Miller. I just hope I can keep the tools straight when I get them all lined up in front of me!
Should we call this tour “pelt boards and porcupine quills”?
Just kidding…Thanks, Larry, for letting me tag along.
Corinne Smith and I presented “Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Egypt for 160+ middle-schoolers at Perry Heights last week and it went really well. We were very concerned about what the kids would be able to actually see since we were on the stage in a small auditorium, but a document camera was focused on the mummy and projected onto a screen so it worked well. There were three parts to the program: the mummification, planning the funeral, and slides from Corinne and Sarah Karges’ trip to Egypt last fall. The kids really got into the funeral planning part of the program and it gave them an opportunity to blow off some steam and showcase their acting (or overacting) ability in the middle of the program. We were assigned several middle school boys as our “technical advisers” and they were very helpful when our slide show attempted to crash. Two hours flew by and all in all, we felt that it was quite successful.
We have other mummy presentations coming up and need more docents trained on this program so we are going to conduct training on May 18 at 10:30 (in lieu of the 1st grade outreach update), following Tom Lonnberg’s training on the Donahue collection. I will email the script to everyone prior to the 18th so that you all have it. I will also print out several hard copies for those who don’t get email. It’s really a fun presentation to do and the kids enjoy it. It’s fascinating to hear their explanations for the choices they make in planning “Uncle Drumses’” funeral.
We’re still looking for a Historian to step in for Sarah Karges when she picks up the Hospitality Chair job from Kay Fuchs. Any takers? Sarah has done an outstanding job, of course, but surely there is a creative docent who would like to put his or her stamp on our history-keeping! Also, Susan Huelsman had agreed to take over as Secretary from Corinne Smith but has had to become temporarily inactive. Take care, Susan, and we look forward to having you back with us soon! As for Corinne, she has agreed to continue as Secretary if someone can fix the problem with her computer and email! Where’s a chiphead when you need one (that was what they called the “techies” at Perry Heights)!
Cheryl Marshall
April 2009
April and May are gearing up to be very busy touring months as usual so please check the calendar in the Education Office and sign up so that Stephanie and Andrea do not have to beg and plead! After all, this is what we signed on for and Spring is always our busiest season.
Museum Camp took place during Spring Break this year and Andrea planned an activity-packed week that had the kids dabbling in forensics, local history, archaeology, and theater!
Bonnie Noe, left, and Lois O’Neill, right, are seen showing off the state-of-the-art cooking facilities in the Rivertown kitchen on History Day during Museum Camp. The campers bartered with Bonnie for cookies and candy at the Pocket General Store, and Lois served crackers and freshly-made butter in the “park” by the gazebo. Erlus Shatara also donned her 1900’s Sunday best to bring the parlor to life.
Thank you to the docents who participated in the annual Vogel Art Fair where we made paper flowers with the students. The kids had a ball with it! Diane Thweatt, Becky Zimmermann and Gloria Speer took the first shift and Paula Riggs, Bonnie Noe, and I took the second shift. Pictured are Paula and Bonnie and one of our Vogel helpers (the young man in the red shirt).
Training:
Exhibit training in March included the Lincoln exhibits, the New Dutch Realism, and the Darwin exhibit. Did you know that Darwin and Lincoln were born on exactly the same day, in the same year! Amazing! Stephanie also conducted our annual Emergency training. Please remember that you are expected to attend the training sessions. They keep us fresh and up to date on museum exhibits. It’s also an opportunity to catch up with docents you might not see very often.
Community Outreach:
I had a great time doing a portion of the Egypt tour for my Civitan group and they seemed to enjoy it as much as the kids do. We have scheduled a couple of other tours for local community groups and if you know of an organization that is looking for a program, give Stephanie a call. We also have a Power Point program that informs people of the many offerings of the museum and Stephanie and I are happy to take this show on the road! Have computer, will travel!
Close Call:
Andrea had announced that her last day was going to be Friday since she is heading to Savannah to pursue a MA in Art History. But she has decided to stay with us through the summer. Thank you, Andrea! You are doing such a terrific job in the Education Office and while we hate that you are leaving, we’re happy for this exciting opportunity! Museum Camp was such a success because of all your hard work, and your enthusiasm and creativity enhance any project that you work on. We’re glad we don’t have to say goodbye yet.
Help!
Thank you to Kay Fuchs who has done a splendid job as Hospitality Chair for several years. Kay has decided to step down and Sarah Karges has volunteered to take her place. As Historian, Sarah has prepared beautiful scrapbooks of our tours, trips, and tales and now we need someone to continue documenting our history. If you are interested in this creative job as Docent Association Historian, please let Sarah or me know.
Upcoming Events:
Speaking of exhibits, be sure to check out “Reinventing the Real: the Art of Laurin D. Notheisen. It is stunning! Laurin is the Martha DeJong Memorial Artist-in-Residence and won the Midstates Art Exhibition (1992, I believe). Her work includes oils, watercolors, and graphite pencil. Her attention to detail and infusion of color makes her work vibrant and fun. Her still-life compositions remind me a bit of Myra Schuetter’s work.
