Public Education &
Lifetime Learning
Teaching and learning are life-long activities, and learners come in all ages, and can even be found outside the classroom. I have experienced firsthand the type of effort it takes to build and sustain community involvement with the Arts. Recently I served as the Director of the Sonoma Count Book Festival and I have volunteered for play festivals and poetry events alike. I continually try to keep literature, art, creativity, technology and learning as part of my life.
As the Docent Coordinator at the Sebastopol Center the Arts in Sonoma County California (a flourishing artistic and performing arts Bay Area community), I worked with volunteers and the public. As the Docent Coordinator, lead docent trainings and community building activities, scheduled tours and volunteers, and supervised docent activities.
Earlier, as a docent at the Tacoma Art Museum, I worked with diverse groups of adults to stimulate conversation, transmit ideas, and offer insights into aesthetic appreciation. As part of my job, I also researched and assembled Docent Training Packets, gave tours, and taught groups of children and the general public art making projects based on major exhibits at the ArtWorks station.
Although the scale and responsibility of these two positions differed, one thing joins them--the learning/teaching process.
- The joy of meeting artists (like Dale Chihuli and Italo Scanga) local artisans and writers, coming to appreciate the unique through-line of the artist's work.
- Then helping others to catch that spark of enthusiasm-- so that directly (through tours) or indirectly (through other docents), can share the appreciation of their unique creative sprit is passed on to the public.
I love to learn, teach, and do. Lifetime learning is the continual practice of gathering and sharing knowledge and creative insight.