Docent Program at MAG

If you are someone who can create meaningful experiences and spark enjoyable conversations, you have what it takes to be an excellent docent at MAG.

MAG staff will assist docent trainees in sharpening their skills for leading memorable explorations of the museum’s collection and exhibitions.

In the 2024–2025 school year, MAG’s docents led over 10,500 visitors on museum tours, most of which are geared towards preK–12 students who visit the museum on school field trips. MAG’s docents also facilitate discussions for college and university class visits.

In addition, docents lead tours for a wide variety of non-student audiences, ranging from corporate groups and social service organizations to drop-in guests for MAG’s public “highlights” tours. Some docents also provide specialized tours, such as Meet Me at MAG, which is designed for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

Our dialogue-based tours encourage close-looking and welcome visitor insights and responses. Above all, we strive to foster a sense of belonging among guests of all ages and from all walks of life.

To become a docent trainee, you do not need any prior educational, professional experience, or background in art history, studio art, or teaching.

To be considered an Active Docent, trainees must complete MAG’s docent training program and commit to leading two tours a month. Active Docents also must attend semi-monthly meetings for continuing education from September through June.

There are no costs to becoming a docent.

Being a docent requires 7–8 hours or more of your time per month for tours and on-going training.

Active Docents are expected to give at least two tours a month, particularly during the school year. The actual on-site time would be about two hours per tour. PreK–12 students are our primary audiences, so most of our tours occur in the mornings, Monday through Friday. We also provide tours in the afternoons and evenings during the week and on weekends for a variety of audiences.

Annually, docents attend semi-monthly meetings and workshops on the museum’s collection, new exhibitions, and touring strategies. These meetings are held on Tuesday mornings and regular attendance is required to maintain active status.

The new docent training class will run from June through September of 2026 with in-person meetings held on consecutive Tuesdays at the museum. Trainees are allowed to have two excused absences during the training period.

The training content covers engaging facilitation and other touring techniques, MAG’s collection and history, and art historical contexts.  Training sessions will help docent trainees develop their own observation and interpretation skills and learn how to apply those skill sets to tours. There will be opportunities to shadow tours given by current Active Docents.

Please note that training sessions may include a hybrid of online and in-person instruction. Trainees should anticipate a weekly reading or tour planning assignment.