Welcome to the Art Docent Website
What is the Art Docent Program?
An Art Docent is a parent volunteer who leads hands-on art lessons
designed to encourage creative thinking while introducing art history
and famous artists. The focus of this program is on visual art –
drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media. Each lesson should result
in a finished project, a piece of art. It is our goal to reinforce the
key art concepts – such as color, texture, line, composition etc. – that
our Arts Friday program teaches. The docent doesn’t need an art
background, only an enjoyment of art.
What is the curriculum?
We have a library of past lessons, by grade, that have worked well
with our schools curriculum. They can be found under Lesson plans and
there are hard copies and examples in the art room files. These lessons
have been gleaned from several sources: the Northshore School District
Art Docent curriculum, the Redmond Art Docent curriculum, on-line
sources, from other docents and our own ingenuity.
What is the role of the classroom teacher?
Generally, the teachers make the time available for docents to do
their thing and then they help with classroom management. However, it is
a good idea to ask your teacher directly – what are their expectations
for the art docent program? What role do they want to play on the day of
a lesson? This is not expected to be a break or prep-time for the
classroom teachers. We encourage marshalling as many other class parents
or other docents to help out as needed. We try to have 6-12 docents per
grade.
How long is a lesson and what do we cover?
Lessons are 45 minutes to an hour. Docents structure their time
differently but it is important to at least include time to discuss the
work of the featured artist and to give the children one or two hands-on
activities. It is valuable to give the students time to share their
finished work with each other, either at the end of the lesson or after
the art is hanging up. Remember each child is showing a unique solution
to the same problem.
Where do the lessons take place?
Room 209 is the Art/Resource Room where our supplies are stored. It
is available for Docent classes from 12:45-3:15 Monday-Thursday. Lessons
can take place in the classrooms as well. There is Google calendar for
reserving the room on this site.
What resources do we have available?
The Shorewood Print Collection is a collection of large, laminated
prints. This year, we also have high quality paper in white and black as
well as card stock. There are other supplies in the art room – paint,
markers etc but you should always check before any lesson to see if we
have what you need. There are many useful, age-appropriate books in the
school library. The room has a document projector. Also, the school owns
a kiln.
What is the budget and how do I get reimbursed for expenses?
There are lots of supplies in the art room but if you need additional
materials you can be reimbursed by bringing your receipt to the main
school office and filling out a PTA reimbursement form. If you are
interested in buying equipment, please check with the coordinator first.