Docent Training

Docents are critical to the success of programming at the Henry Art Gallery. We rely on docents to help educate students and engage the public in general. Please contact for more information on becoming a docent.

Exhibition Guides

The Henry Art Gallery Exhibition Guide Program is a stimulating experience for both visitors and guides and is one of the essential parts of a museum’s education program. All exhibition guides complete a 10 week training course that surveys the Henry tour program and the visual thinking method of exploring art with all ages. Exhibition guides are presented with an overview of the Henry’s current and upcoming exhibitions. Further discussions include topics on the development of modern art, contemporary art issues and ideas, the Henry’s extensive collection, and exploring the art of photography.

When introducing artwork to students, exhibition guides utilize two interactive approaches: the Visual Thinking Process and the Art Criticism Process. Both approaches are participatory viewing experiences encouraging exploration of the artwork prior to making personal assumptions or judgments. Personal interpretations are perfectly acceptable, but should be supported and justified by what is seen in the artwork.

The Visual Thinking Process

The Visual Thinking Process teaches the ability to look carefully at a work of art and unlock its meaning and context. This is done through the Visual Thinking Curriculum developed by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a method of inquiry that draws out viewer response and explores information about an art work meaningful to the viewer. Most museum visitors, especially children, are new to looking at art and search for ways in which it relates directly to them and their life experience. This is where visual thinking starts.

The Visual Thinking Process progresses from simple and narrative works of art to more complex and symbolic ones. It explores images that relate to, but play off of each other. Questioning begins by asking students “What do you see in this picture?” and allows the discussion to follow a logical progression. The teacher or exhibition guide weaves in information about the artwork or the artist as necessary to guide the discussion to places that illuminate the work of art, or when students ask for it.

The Art Criticism Process

Often viewers judge an artwork before looking at all of its aspects. Comments like “I could have done that” or “I don’t like it” are quick judgments often without basis. Outlined below is a four-step process for critiquing any artwork that places the viewer’s judgment last, not first.

Describe Viewers begin by describing only what they see.

Analyze Next they are encouraged to notice relationships between what they observe in the work.

Interpret After a thorough exploration of the artwork, viewers can construct an idea of what the object means.

Judge After going over evidence, ideas, theories and speculations the viewer is able to judge if the artist was effective in communicating his or her message.