Museum of Art April 28, 1998 Contact Heather Brown (541) 346-0942 or John R. Crosiar 346-3135 EUGENE--The University of Oregon Museum of Art is looking for enthusiastic volunteers willing to complete a rigorous training program that will prepare them to share their knowledge and love of art with museum visitors of all ages. Applications for the museum's Docent Program fall training class are now available and should be returned by May 15. Interviews of applicants will take place during late May, and the nine-month training will begin in late September. "Since 1956, the museum's Docent Program has grown to be an integral part of the museum's educational mission," says Lisa Abia-Smith, director of educational outreach. "Docents learn about the history of the UO Museum of Art, its collections and exhibitions, and share their knowledge with visitors through guided tours and community outreach." Over the years the docent program has trained more than 300 volunteers and currently has 50 active members. As docents, volunteers receive extensive background information and education about the museum and its collections. They also learn invaluable presentation techniques through weekly workshops and lectures. Docents receive University of Oregon library privileges and have the opportunity to audit related courses, Abia-Smith says. The lessons delivered informally by UO Museum of Art docents support discipline-based arts education. In the last year, Abia-Smith and the Docent Council have worked with the Oregon Department of Education to address how the museum's docent program can further support students in meeting state standards by integrating docent-led tours with school curricula. Abia-Smith believes the docent program is a valuable and vital teaching tool that can help enhance school curricula and children's learning. "As an educational institution, it is our duty to meet and support the needs of schools, teachers and students. Research has shown that by using the visual arts when teaching other subjects, children learn and retain more about a given subject. In addition, during these times when arts programs are being severely cut back in many public schools, our docent program is helping to meet the need of educating our children about the visual arts." The Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane on the UO campus, houses an extensive permanent collection of Asian as well as contemporary Northwest and American art. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, it also attracts a number of significant national and international traveling exhibitions each year. Accessible to people with disabilities, the Museum of Art is open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Docent-led tours are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sundays and also are available by appointment. Suggested admission is $3 for the general public and free with current identification for all students, UO faculty and staff and museum members. The museum is open free to all from 5-8 p.m. during MusEvenings! each Wednesday. To request a docent application or for more information about the program, call Lisa Abia-Smith at the museum, (541) 346-0966. -30- #P-2214/A&E