Art Museum Officials Apologize to Docents
By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 12, 2005
After an outcry from its docent corps, the National Gallery of Art reversed itself yesterday and announced it would continue docent-led school tours in the fall.
Last month the gallery sent letters to docents saying the tours would be suspended during the coming school year as that aspect of its education programs was retooled.
At a meeting yesterday in the East Building auditorium, museum officials apologized to the docents and said there had been misunderstanding and miscommunication about its plans.
"All of you have inspired generations of schoolchildren and possibly their children through the years with your stewardship, creativity and love for what you do," said Earl A. Powell III, the gallery's director. He said the docents would be invited to work with the "equally dedicated" education staff over the summer "to develop a plan with the goal of continuing the docent-led tours this fall."
The audience of about 100 volunteer docents erupted into applause and a few genteel cheers.
Ilzk King, a docent for 22 years who travels from Southern Maryland to lead her groups, said, "I'm so relieved."
A few said they were looking for a fresh start in their relationship with the gallery. "There were mistakes made and the letter caused a lot of misery. Now we can put this behind us and move forward together," said docent Joy Dale.
After Powell spoke, the head of the gallery's education division apologized for the tone of the April 18 letter to docents telling them they would be "on hiatus" for the next school year. "The staff and I are truly sorry that the letter did not convey the sentiment we intended. It's our opportunity now to develop the very best school programs, with your participation," Lynn Russell said.
The education programs have been an integral part of the gallery for 55 years. The docent-led tours in both the East and West buildings serve 34,000 local students a year; the popular field trip is a ritual at many schools. Fairfax County, for example, sends every sixth-grader to the gallery. The initial decision surprised not only the docents and teachers but some of their supporters as well.
Rep. James P. Moran (D-Va.) reprimanded Powell in a letter, saying the announcement "doesn't make sense." Powell, in a reply to Moran, said that only the single-visit school tours were being affected and that the gallery would "continue to serve school children in many ways."
Carole Whelan, the art specialist at Oyster Elementary in Northwest Washington, said she was pleased with the gallery's reversal.
"Teachers who are less sure of leading a tour themselves will feel much more at ease going to the gallery and having an expert who really knows the collection," said Whelan, who arranges 10 trips a year for her students. She complimented the printed materials the gallery prepares, but the docents add something special, she said. "They have been trained by the museum in all the elements and principles of art and in integrating the tour to the teachers' curriculum."
After yesterday's meeting, Powell emphasized that the programs needed updating and change.
The gallery announced yesterday that it is forming a docent advisory committee that will work over the next year to see how the program might be improved. It will discuss a range of issues, Russell said, listening to suggestions from the docents. Among the items on the agenda are more docent training, a closer relationship between teacher training and school visits, improvement of teacher or chaperone evaluation sheets, and more specific approaches for different age groups.
After the meeting ended, Powell stood at the back of the auditorium and spoke to individual docents, who seemed satisfied with the new plan.
"We will be able to make the changes all on the same page," Powell said, "This is a win for the docents, a win for the gallery and a win for the students."