The official blog for the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

U of A Museum’s New Docent Program

by | Oct 23, 2024 | Community Outreach, Features, Outreach & Impact

Docents attending a training session in September.

The U of A Museum is thrilled to announce its new docent program!  

For this academic year, 14 new docents have been chosen to lead tours and research objects. These new docents met in September for a two-day training program that gave them a behind-the-scenes look at the museum and covered how to give tours of the Collections Facility housing 7.5 million objects. In addition to this initial training, docents meet once a month to further develop their skills as a group.  

The docent program is helping make our tours more accessible by increasing the amount of tours we can offer, including offering tours one Saturday a month. Docents not only provide tours but assist with events and research of museum objects. They can also provide more personalized tours based on their background and chosen object research. The program provides our docents with opportunities to get more involved with the museum and their community.  

Docent Kristi Mascher is a UACL programming coordinator and teaching assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, as well as our Museum Advisory Council president. As someone who is both a faculty member and is on the Museum Advisory Council, she provides a unique perspective on the new program.

“The docent program has been a meaningful and hands-on way to support the museum’s educational outreach initiatives,” she said. “As a member of the Museum’s Advisory Council, I’m excited to see how we are expanding our connection from the campus community to the greater community of Northwest Arkansas through engaging learning opportunities. On a personal level, I love learning more and more about the museum’s fascinating collections!” 

For October and November, you can fill out a tour request form to sign up for a tour on any of these dates:  

  • Friday, Oct. 25, 4-5 p.m.

  • Thursday, Nov. 7, 5:30-6:30 p.m. 

  • Monday, Nov. 11, 2-3 p.m. 

  • Friday, Nov. 15, 3:30-4:30 p.m. 

  • Thursday, Nov. 21, 5:30-6:30 p.m. 

  • Friday, Nov. 22, 4-5 p.m. 

  • Saturday, Nov. 23, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

  • Saturday, Nov. 23, 2:30-3:30 p.m. 

  • Monday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m. to noon 

For future dates or for alternate dates, see further details on the tour request form. Please visit our website to learn more about tours and class visits at the museum. We can’t wait to see you! 

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.