The most recent biannual National Docents Symposium (NDS) took place October 24-27 in Washington DC. This week attendee Barb Keilhauer describes her experience.
The NDS conference in Washington DC was highly pleasurable. DC is a great town, despite the current political climate; streets are spotless, gardens are blooming, taxi drivers are history buffs and the museums are free!
I gave a workshop on Visual Thinking Strategies. This is a technique developed by Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine that enhances visitor participation by asking three basic questions:
- What’s going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- Is there anything more?
The key is to facilitate and paraphrase visitor responses without judgement. The result leaves each visitor feeling relaxed and validated while exercising their own critical thinking skills. It can work on any art work, modern or ancient, and allows for no wrong answers!
My presentation was popular – the workshop room was slated for 75 participants, the largest room available. I was able to roam the room with my portable microphone to make sure everyone was included. Folks were very enthusiastic and enjoyed their own participation looking at various art works. I noticed a lot of peripheral talk about the VTS technique in other workshops; clearly it is gaining steam across the country as a useful enhancement tool.
[Note: You can find more about VTS by watching the YouTube video “Visual Thinking Strategies: Terra Foundation for American Art” or by visiting the VTS website.]
We had wonderful lunch time speakers including the new Director of the National Gallery of Washington, Kaywin Feldman. These speakers were some of the best I’ve heard, giving insight and facts into the changing of museums and potential future of these institutions.
I proudly did an offsite visit to the Canadian and Finnish Embassies, with their beautiful architecture and art collections, as well as a visit to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. On Saturday I sadly had to chose between the Freer Sackler Gallery and seeing a friend sing at the National Cathedral, an astonishing recently finished church just north of Embassy Row. I chose my friend!
National Docents Symposiums are wonderful. I saw old friends that I had made at prior events and made new friends, not to mention the several nights I sat at the Hotel Bar and made even more friends watching the World Series. Congratulations, Washington Nationals! It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to meet like minded folks from across North America and share ideas. So glad to have gone!
–Barbara Keilhauer
Interested in developing a presentation for the next NDS in 2021? Contact Melissa Smith to get started!
You can read the previous post on Shelagh Barrington’s NDS experience here.