Make History Come Alive at The Hermitage!

At The Hermitage, docents (from the Latin word docere, to teach) are trained educators who help to further the public’s understanding of the rich cultural and historical collections of The Hermitage. Docents give tours of The Hermitage and assist with hands-on activities during our popular school/family programs.

Time Commitment: Docents attend bi-weekly lectures and workshops on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m.–12 noon, September – April, with a break in December/January. In addition, new docents are required to observe a minimum of three tours, to be arranged in conjunction with Hermitage staff. Once a docent is ready to lead tours, they are expected to sign up for a minimum of two days of public tours OR a minimum of three school programs a month. Public tour hours are 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday; school programs are available Monday-Friday and last about 2 hours.

Benefits:

• A new and exciting program of educational lectures on American history, art history, decorative arts, and architecture.

• Professional development and the opportunity to work directly with diverse community members as they are educated and inspired by The Hermitage’s heritage, culture, and history.

• A creative and social atmosphere in which to be with new friends.

• Complimentary membership in Friends of the Hermitage, Inc. and admission to The Hermitage and special exhibitions.

• Field trips to historic and cultural sites such as the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, the Bush-Holley House, and the Museum of the City of New York .

• An invitation to the annual Docent Recognition Luncheon.

Please contact us if you are interested in joining our dedicated and enthusiastic docent corps!

Volunteer Job Description

Docents are volunteer members of the Education Department of The Hermitage who provide age-appropriate, inquiry-based programs to school/Scout groups and tours to the public.

Program Requirements:

Attend training sessions (lectures and workshops) every other Monday from 10:00 a.m. — noon , September 15, 2008 — April 20, 2009 , with a break during the holidays. Two of these sessions will be field trips to other museums and/or historic sites. There will also be a docent reception with an awards ceremony.

• New docents are permitted to miss one training session in the fall and one in the spring.

• Read all materials distributed during training.

• General Tours: By May, all new docents must write a general tour outline for The Hermitage; each docent will be asked to present their general tour to a member of The Hermitage staff for evaluation. A brief review will directly follow the tour. After the review, the docent will be asked to revise and re-present the tour. If the tour is considered successful, the docent will be will be eligible for graduation and scheduled to give general tours of The Hermitage.

• School/Scout Programs: If you would like to train to lead school programs in addition to general public tours of The Hermitage, please speak with Jim to make arrangements.

Education Docent Commitment Statement:

As a Docent at The Hermitage, I will:

• Make a commitment to being a docent at The Hermitage that I can keep.

• Actively participate in training workshops, lectures, and discussions.

• Maintain a professional attitude and be gracious and friendly with all visitors.

• Support the educational philosophy of The Hermitage by learning and using interpretive strategies that will enable me to become an expert educator.

• Be flexible, ready to change direction or react to an unexpected situation whenever problems arise.

Hermitage Staff Commitment Statement:

The Hermitage Staff will:

• Provide docents with an ongoing educational experience including lectures on history and art, and training in guiding techniques, material culture studies, and educational theory.

• Provide curators’ tours and previews of exhibitions.

• Provide two annual trips to other museums to tour sites and meet with staff and docents.

• Host an annual Volunteer Luncheon.

• Host an annual Docent Reception.

• Be always available to encourage and assist docents.