Date: Fri 01-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

schools-Aldrich-art-museum

Full Text:

Museum Program Brings Students Eye To Eye On Art

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Newtown High School art students got an unusual tour of the new exhibit at the

Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield on February 23.

Instead of being led through the building by a curator, they viewed the art

work through the eyes of one of their classmates.

For more than three years, Aldrich has been training students in the art of

discussing art with their peers. Aldrich education director Harry Philbrick

created the docent program in an effort to empower students and demystify the

museum.

Studies have shown that students are better able to stimulate dialogue between

their peers than adult authority figures, according to Mr Philbrick. The

program allows for more thinking and talking about complex ideas like

metaphor, abstraction, symbolism, form, structure and content.

"Our challenge as museum educators is to make people think, within the limited

time period we have with them," explained Mr Philbrick. "The more we challenge

students, the higher the hurdles we give them, the more they respond."

NHS called on art students Kevin Walker, Kathy Lehman, Tracy Otwell, Elizabeth

Terrance and Danielle Andrews to play the roll of docents for the recent

visit.

The five upperclassmen led groups of students around the halls, pointing out

different pieces from the new "In the Flesh" exhibit. Students seemed to be

more open to discussion of the works, actually engaging in dialogue with their

classmates and tour guides.

NHS art teacher Carol Washburn said she was very pleased with the interaction

she observed between the students.

"It was wonderful to see students teaching students," she explained. "I

thought the docents were very knowledgeable and very poised."

Mrs Washburn observed the students relating easier to one another as the

docents managed to make the artwork relevant to their world.

"I think they demystified the idea of a museum," she added.

Junior docent Danielle Andrews, said the program is effective because students

speak differently to one another than adults do with students.

"I think students have different views and a little bit more insight into the

art," she explained.

Elizabeth Terrance, a junior, said she had a speech prepared for just about

every piece of art, but ended up using little of it, instead, using words that

made the exhibits more interesting to her peers.

Elizabeth said being a docent made her look at artwork more objectively rather

than simply walking around and saying "I like that one, or I don't like that

one, or that one's gross."

"You had to understand what the purpose was behind each exhibit and what the

artist was thinking," she explained.

The five students attended five after-school training sessions, which included

meeting with the artists and observing the installation of the "In the Flesh"

exhibit.

Each student docent was accompanied by an adult museum educator who supervised

the tour and provided information or supplement to the tour as needed.

National Public Radio (NPR) will air an informational piece on the Aldrich

docent program this month and had its tapes rolling during Newtown's visit.