At Tampa Bay’s museums, docents share what they know with the public

Shortly after Karen Swanson moved from Virginia to St. Petersburg, she heard that the new James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art was looking for docents. So she stopped by and volunteered.

“I don’t know anything about art or the West,” she told an employee, “but I’d love to learn.” Five years later, she is not only expert enough to guide around the museum, she has also made many friends among the 70 other docents.

Whether it’s to meet people, indulge a passion for art, or just keep your brain active in retirement, being a docent can be a satisfying and useful way to spend your time. Tampa Bay art museums rely on docents — from the Latin word “to teach” — to instruct visitors about their collections and in many ways serve as the institution’s public face.

“Doctors are an integral part of the James Museum,” said Marsha Quinn, the director of education. “Their role has expanded as the museum has grown over the past five years, and it is common to see a docent working with the public in one of our art studios or assisting with a student art exhibit.”

The training to become a docent can be rigorous. On St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum, which displays the work of surrealist artist Salvador Dali, docents take a 21-week class that meets three hours a week. Lisa Roberts, whose background is in fashion, said she struggled so much she almost gave up.

“We had to read all these different things from different books about Dali, which were written by excellent scholars, and it was not easy language,” she said. “I sent a few episodes to my sister, who has three advanced degrees, and she said, ‘Oh my God, I’d have a problem with that,’ and she’s an academic.”

Nevertheless, the Roberts continued, spurred on by their mother’s example. She was in Dalí’s first docent class, volunteered for 33 years, and was so beloved that her memorial service was held at the museum. “I wanted to pay tribute to my mom,” Roberts said.

Since retiring as a financial advisor several years ago, Helen Huntley has become known as “docent extraordinaire.” She works as a volunteer at three museums in St. Petersburg: James, Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

“I did a lot of planning for retirement and thought about what I was going to do and what I like to do and basically I like to learn things and share with other people,” Huntley said. “The most important thing about being a docent is that you have to like learning things and studying and reading.”

As part of their training, the docents “shadow” more experienced docents and take the Tampa Museum of Art on a family and friends tour before venturing out on their own. Docents at each museum are expected to complete a certain number of tours each year. The majority of teachers are retirees who come from a wide range of fields – doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists. Most are women, but far from all.

Chuck Duritsch, a creative director, realized he needed to do something to occupy his time after retiring and moving to downtown St. Petersburg. The James Museum was only a few blocks away, so he became a docent and now enjoys it so much that he makes more than the required two trips a month.

“At first I was so nervous that I had little index cards with all my information, but we shadowed a lot of the docents and one said, ‘Chuck, just go with what you know, show what you’re comfortable showing them and don’t worry about trying to show a bigger picture.”

Like many educators, Duritsch said he especially enjoys leading tours for school groups. He finds that younger children are engaged and express how they feel. Once, while discussing a painting called “Shearing of the Sheep,” he held out a piece of shorn wool and asked if anyone would smell it.

“One kid said, ‘It smells like Target.’ I just looked at the chaperone and we started laughing.”

At the Dali Museum, some of the paintings are risque enough that the museum offers “provocative tours” for adults only. Docent Sandra Selzer remembers asking a group of older women if they wanted the regular tour or the one with the word “vagina.” They eagerly chose the latter.

Some Dali teachers are as eye-catching as the art. Janice Embrey Brown, who was “blown away” when she first saw Dali’s work 25 years ago, wears a shoe-shaped hat like one made by Dali’s friend, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. “Surrealism is taking something where it used to be,” she tells visitors, “and placing it somewhere it will never be.”

Docents do more than lead tours. Candi James, who became a docent at James a year ago, volunteered to help with a class in the museum’s art studio offered during a special Andy Warhol exhibit. “Every week for six weeks,” she said, “I scrubbed paint pots.”

Sara Cohen, a retired interior designer who volunteers at the Tampa Museum of Art, said one of the things she likes best about being a docent is the frequently changing exhibits. “I don’t think I could absorb more right now,” she said, “but learning about different things keeps me interested.”

Surrounded by amazing works of art, many docents have their favorites. Not so for Anne Shamas, long-time docent at the Museum of Fine Arts.

“It’s like asking me who my favorite child is,” she said. “I love everything and after 40 years they are all old friends.”

Do you want to be a docent?

Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. education@tampamuseum.org. Docents in training meet for two hours every second Monday for a year. There are no classes planned at the moment, but the names of those interested will be saved.

Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, 255 Beach Drive NE. Docents who lead gallery tours take 68 hours of training over several months. Docent specialists who work with PK-12 school groups take a 16-hour course at the start of each school year. Check mfastpete.org for information on when new docent applications open.

Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd., St. Petersburg. thedali.org/join/volunteer/become-docent/. Docents take a 21-week class offered every 16 months depending on attrition with the next class scheduled for Spring 2024.

Museum of the Arts and Crafts Movement, 355 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. volunteers@museumaacm.org. Docents complete a 10-week session; a new one starts in the spring.

James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Admission to the program includes an application and an interview to assess compatibility with the program. Classes are held once a week for 12 to 14 weeks, and the next class is expected in 2024.