The most recent biannual National Docents Symposium (NDS) took place October 24-27 in Washington DC, hosted by the Smithsonian’s Freer/Sackler Galleries of Asian Art. Five AGO volunteers attended this year, including Barbara Keilhauer, who made a presentation on Visual Thinking Strategies, as well as Fran Bleviss, Bev Biderman, and Margaret Johnson. Over the next few weeks we will feature their reports on this important event – this week Shelagh Barrington, NDS Council Regional Director for Canada, describes her experience.
Fifteen Canadians from across the country were among the 450 delegates who gathered in this city of cultural and historic delights to share and grow together. Washington DC knows how to celebrate its heritage – no matter your opinion on the political front, the city aims to inform, educate and entertain its visitors.
This year’s NDS, Capitalizing on Our Experience, was a wonderful mix of stimulating speakers reminding us that the future is here now:
Dr Augustus Casley-Hayford, Director of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, gave the keynote address. Many of you may remember his talk around the installation of the AGO’s Frum Gallery of African Art. (NB: He is coming to Toronto to speak at the Aga Khan Museum on December 1 – details here.)
Susan Fisher Sterling, Alice West Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, spoke to women’s representation both in art museums and in the leadership of cultural institutions.
Karleen Gardiner, Director of Learning at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, spoke on ways of partnering with the community to foster empathy.
Delegates were welcomed by Chase F Robinson, Jillian Sackler Director, to the stunning Freer/Sackler Galleries. The museum staff hosted an elegant reception and treated the delegates to “Ask Me” talks in the galleries, including the fabulous Peacock Room. (Originally designed in 1876 as a family dining room for Frederick Leyland’s London home, and moved to the US by art collector Charles Freer in 1904, this interior masterpiece was decorated with an amazing amount of gold leaf by James Whistler; Leyland objected to this extravagance and the ensuing payment dispute led to Whistler’s financial ruin!)
Professionally presented workshops motivated us to consider how we can better engage our guests. A workshop on Visual Thinking Strategies was presented by our own Barb Keilhauer to a large, receptive, and very appreciative audience.
No NDS is complete without tours of the host city and its cultural institutions. I enjoyed a night-time tour of historical monuments commemorating leading American citizens, including the moving Martin Luther King Memorial, “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”. I also went off the beaten path with a tour of the American Visionary Arts Museum. Established in 1995 in Baltimore by current director and chief curator Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, this museum of “outsider art” collaborates with industry and community to assist youth at risk.
An unexpected bonus was the coincidental timing of the symposium with the 2019 World Series, where the Washington Nationals outlasted the favoured Houston Astros. (As you may know, the Nationals used to be the Montreal Expos – you can guess who the Canadians were cheering for!)
The next NDS will take place in 2021 in Kansas City MO. Those interested in learning more about NDS or sharing in between events can visit the NDS Council site or contact NDS regional directors Shelagh Barrington or Fran Bleviss.