Educations Sessions for Monday, March 9, 2026
All sessions to be held at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Session Group A
Monday, 10:15-11:00am
A1: Peer Polish and Shine–Crafting Tours Through Revolutionary Collaborations
Presenters: Lisa Smith, Docent Chair–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Elizabeth Finnan, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Carol Bachmann, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Kathy Howell, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Sandra Stephan, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Audrey Mitchell, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Demetrios Peratsakis, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art; Gloria Peratsakis, Docent–Muscarelle Museum of Art
Description: Based on the “Critical Friends” model used by educators, “Peer Polish and Shine” is a revolutionary adaptation that meets the unique needs of docents as they craft individualized tours. Through a live demonstration of a PPS gathering, presenters will show how the use of an easy 15-minute “Peer Polish and Shine” protocol encourages collaboration and delivers feedback in a supportive, non-judgmental way that enriches all participants.
Location: Hennage Auditorium
A2: Framing Conversations
Presenters: Polly Clark, Community Docent, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia; Emily Wiley, Community Docent, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Description: Using a provocative painting from the collection of the Fralin Museum we will consider how artists and we, as docents, make choices on how to present and frame works of art. Focusing on the introduction and first views of a work, we will demonstrate methods that encourage shifts in perspective and facilitate discussion. Through these methods, visitors from young children to adults can connect with art and each other.
Location: Education Studio
A3: Dementia-Friendly Tours: A Revolutionary Idea
Presenter: Sherry J Warren- Community Educator, Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter and Docent, Chrysler Museum of Art
Description: You already have persons living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia visiting your museum. Are your tours dementia-friendly? What challenges might you encounter- and what joys? Share ideas with other docents and learn more about how you can maximize the comfort and enjoyment of your visitors and yourself.
Location: Public Hospital Conference Room
A4: Telling Stories Through Objects at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Presenters: Cynthia Burns, Sarah Sullivan, Beth Ann Muthig, Ann Berry, Christina Westenberger, Janet Shortt, Janet Cummings – Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg docents
Description: At the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, we love sharing stories through the objects on display. Join a docent for a guided tour and discover how we bring art and history to life in our galleries. (This session will be available during breakout sessions A, B & C)
Location: AMCW Galleries
Session Group B
Monday, 11:15am-12:00pm
B1: Revolutionizing Your Tour with AI
Presenters: Mary Fout, Docent, Muscarelle Museum of Art; Linda Stocker, Docent, Muscarelle Museum of Art
Description: Artificial Intelligence (AI), as a research and content creation tool, deepens knowledge. AI can analyze a museum’s collection to find hidden connections between artworks, artists, and movements that might be difficult for humans to detect, helping docents build richer narratives. This session empowers docents to become dynamic storytellers, blending historical insight with personal narrative to create engaging, memorable visitor experiences. Through interactive techniques and multimedia tools, participants will explore how to transform facts into compelling stories that resonate with diverse audiences, fueling “The Docent Revolution” through the art of meaningful connections.
Location: Hennage Auditorium
B2: Like No One’s Watching – setting the tone to promote engagement on student tours
Presenter: Haley Oeur, student docent at the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Description: What does it mean to be perceived, particularly as a K-12 student in a museum setting? In recent years, “cringe culture” and the fear of peer perception has diminished youth participation in learning spaces. Through interactive activities and ideas to set the tone of a tour, this session aims to teach docents how to create an environment of care that invites authentic engagement and interaction without the feeling of being seen.
Location: Education Studio
B-3: An Individual Revolution: Getting Creative with Art and Poetry
Presenters: Rebecca Martin, Maier Museum of Art Docent; Sue Ellen Petchul, Maier Museum of Art Docent
Description: Incorporating writing into museum programs shows that poetry and art are for everyone, not just elite audiences. This session explores how art and poetry work elliptically: writing about art encourages closer looking, and observing art inspires deeper thought and connection. We will discuss poetry forms that pair best with different types of art and how to tailor the writing practice to your audience. Participants will gain strategies for adapting ekphrastic writing to different groups and be encouraged to think creatively about integrating it in the museum and beyond.
Location: Public Hospital Conference Room
B4: Telling Stories Through Objects at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Presenters: Cynthia Burns, Sarah Sullivan, Beth Ann Muthig, Ann Berry, Christina Westenberger, Janet Shortt, Janet Cummings – Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg docents
Description: At the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, we love sharing stories through the objects on display. Join a docent for a guided tour and discover how we bring art and history to life in our galleries. (This session will be available during breakout sessions A, B & C)
Location: AMCW Galleries
Session Group C
Monday, 1:00-1:45pm
C1: The Economics of Engagement: A Revolutionary Framework for Visitor-Centered Tours
Presenter: Lena Nifong, Student Docent, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Description: What if docent work were treated like a revolutionary economy, where curiosity, conversation, and connection are the currency? In this session, we’ll utilize the language of finance, including opportunity cost, return on investment, and marginal benefit, as a fresh framework for designing tours that prioritize what matters most: meaningful stories that resonate with today’s visitors. Through interactive examples and group discussion, we’ll rethink how to ‘spend’ our limited time with audiences, how to ‘invest’ in stories that spark dialogue, and how to measure the ‘payoff’ of engagement. This revolutionary approach empowers docents to share stories more strategically, ushering in a new age of visitor-centered, impactful museum experiences.
Location: Hennage Auditorium
C2: A Quiet Revolution: Art Transformations
Presenters: Laura McManus, Curator of Education for Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College Olivia Casey, Maier Museum of Art Docent
Description: Maier Museum of Art docents will share Art Transformation, an interdisciplinary program for college students that can be adapted for all ages. Centered on mindful looking, the program uses guided gallery exercises and simple creative activities to show how art can reduce stress and build resilience. A quick peek at the science shows why these practices really work. Participants will walk away with tools for transforming art encounters into opportunities for mindfulness and refreshment. Docents will also explore simple ways to use these practices to prepare for tours and recharge afterward.
Location: Education Studio
C3: Clinicians in the Art Museum? Using Visual Art and the Museum to Prepare Health Professionals for Practice
Presenters: Marcia Day Childress PhD Professor Emerita of Medical Education (Health Humanities) Center for Health Humanities and Ethics University of Virginia School of Medicine Community Docent, The Fralin Museum of Art University of Virginia
Description: UVA’s Fralin Museum of Art is a learning lab for apprentice physicians. CLINICIAN’S EYE workshop uses arts materials and pedagogies to foster medical students’ clinical competence by exercising clinical skills, including some that medical didactics/modeling don’t teach well: observation, communication, teamwork, compassion, reflection, and managing ambiguity/uncertainty; it also nurtures learner resilience and well-being.
Location: Public Hospital Conference Room
C4: Telling Stories Through Objects at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Presenters: Cynthia Burns, Sarah Sullivan, Beth Ann Muthig, Ann Berry, Christina Westenberger, Janet Shortt, Janet Cummings – Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg docents
Description: At the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, we love sharing stories through the objects on display. Join a docent for a guided tour and discover how we bring art and history to life in our galleries. (This session will be available during breakout sessions A, B & C)
Location: AMCW Galleries
Session Group Panel Discussion
Monday, 2:00-3:00pm
Revolution in the Details: Small Strategies for Compelling Museum Tours
Presenters: Sandra Stephan, Docent, Muscarelle Museum of Art and docents from other museums
Description: All revolutions aren’t momentous! Sometimes small changes can lead to major improvements in the museum experience for both visitors and for docents. Docents from a variety of museums will present brief descriptions of small but significant strategies they have recently initiated that have led to more effective visitor engagement. We’ll share stories about how we developed the ideas, obstacles we encountered, revisions we had to make, missteps, and successes, and what we learned from the enterprise.
Location: Hennage Auditorium
Educations Sessions for Tuesday, March 10, 2026
All sessions to be held at the Muscarelle Museum of Art
Session Group D
Tuesday, 9:15-10:00am
D1: Revolution in the Galleries: Guiding Conversations Around Challenging Ideas
Presenters: Ann Berry, Docent/Ambassador, Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg; Lois Coward, Maier Museum of Art Docent; Elizabeth Rieben, Maier Museum of Art Docent
Description: Does your museum exhibit art or objects that are difficult to talk about? Challenging issues have persisted for the last 250 years and continue to shape our communities today. Attend this session for some straight talk on tricky subjects!
Location: Event Hall
D2: Story Sparks: Bringing Art to Life Through Storytelling
Presenter: Kari Brimhall, Storyteller, Author, Docent at the Chrysler Museum of Art
Description: Revolutionize how stories are told in the gallery! Every artwork tells a story – and every docent is a storyteller! Explore ways to weave engaging narratives that make art come alive for all audiences. Learn tips from a professional storyteller for balancing facts and feeling and adding humor or mystery.
Location: Brashear Study
D3: New Voices, New Spaces: Emerging Docents in an Expanded Museum
Presenter: Sandra Stephan, Docent, Muscarelle Museum of Art and other museum docents
Description: New docents reflect on the journey they have traveled toward becoming full-fledged docents: what experience and expertise they brought to the program, how class members worked together, created new energies, and infused new vitality into the existing program; how they joined with seasoned docents to work through the challenges of adapting to a newly renovated museum; and how these docents evolved from learners to leaders.
Location: Rowland Seminar
D4. Muscarelle Museum of Art Gallery Tours
Presenters: Muscarelle docents
Description: Enjoy guided tours of current Muscarelle Museum of Art Exhibitions.
Location: Muscarelle Galleries
Session Group E
Tuesday, 10:15-11:00am
E1: LOOK, SEE, CONNECT, EXTEND: Engagement and Interpretation
Presenter: Douglas D’Urso, VMFA tour guide
Description: Introducing works of art in your collection as an opportunity to explore and enjoy discovery. Creating an environment of curiosity using IDEAS, ACTIVATION and DOCUMENTATION. We will have a discussion in front of a work of art exploring Impressions, Interpretation, Information and Synthesis. Join us we revolutionize touring a work of art!
Location: Muscarelle Galleries
E2: Talking About Glass in Virginia’s History, Art, Craft, and Science
Presenter: Nancy F. Mills, 2025-26 Docent Council President, Chrysler Museum of Art
Description: Since before the Revolutionary War, Eastern Virginia has a long history with glass. Beginning with Jamestown and continuing to the growing community of glass artists in the state, particularly, but not exclusively, at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, museum glass collections provide opportunities to discuss the inter-connectedness of art, science, history, and design. This presentation will illustrate some ways that looking at glass can be incorporated into many different tours.
Location: Brashear Study
E3. Brushstrokes of Connection: Using Art to Spark Memory and Story — Beyond Museum Walls
Presenters: Carol Bachmann – Docent & Chair, Art & Memory Committee, Muscarelle Museum of Art; Sandy Stephan, Susan Engelstein, Mary Fout, Nancy Norton, Participating Muscarelle Docents
Description: Learn how a docent outreach program brings art to life for residents in memory care, turning paintings and sculpture into pathways to long-lost memories and warm connections. Through art, laughter, and shared stories, these moments transform into flashes of recognition and joy for people living with dementia. We’ll showcase practical strategies and inspiring stories of how art breaks through cognitive barriers and rekindles the human spirit. Attendees will take away fresh ideas for designing meaningful art experiences for people struggling to connect.
Location: Rowland Seminar