Sculpture Park Pow Wow

Docent Meeting

September 14, 2012

Docents at Laumeier meet periodically to caucus about news at the sculpture park. It’s a small voluntary army of just about twenty (20) plus ten (10) others on honorary status and a handful on leave. This group shares a love of art and contemporary sculpture in particular. Today, the meeting is inside the gallery just outside the museum shop because it’s a cool, damp day. The park gets 300,000 visitors a year but only a fraction take advantage of a docent lead tour. Those who do, get a dose of insight, facilitated discussion and a little extra perspective. This is the crew that makes it happen.

Clara Coleman kicks off the meeting and welcomes three new docent candidates. Holly, Suzanne and Pam (more women to add comic contrast to me, the only male in the room and one of just two male docents). It doesn’t matter to me but it means I will likely find myself on a bus with these ladies to visit Chrystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas in November.

It seems like only yesterday when Mary Hanson and I were attending weekly briefings, “meeting the sculptures” and anticipating our first official tours as docents. Now we are veterans of our first Summer season. She’s seated next to me during the meeting so I know she also finds it interesting that docents have tenures often ranging between 10 and 25+ years.  

Barb Flunker is passing the torch after two years as docent group representative. Maureen Jennings is stepping up and joining Tony Vonder Haar to continue in that responsibility. Maureen is orchestrating the Chrystal Bridges trip . Coffee & Conversation, a collaborative program about Minimalism with the Kemper Art Museum (at Washington University) and a visit with artist Juan William Chavez are all in sight for the next 30 days.

Collection updates, capital campaign, personnel (PR, education etc) and a few highlights on Ann Bauer’s trip to Africa for a spectacular wedding, a wave of sign-up sheets for continuing volunteer tour opportunities,  a call for Hunt + Gather vegetable garden care volunteers and we are adjourned.