The Torch Bearers as Metaphor: Musings on the History of Docents

In the last decade, explorations into the work of volunteer educators, titled docents, within art museums revealed turbulent circumstances that led some institutions to alter their volunteer programs, if not end them entirely. How did art museums come to rely on volunteers to undertake such an important responsibility – that of engaging and connecting with visitors – thereby functioning as the face and voice of their institution? The memory of Anna Hyatt Huntington's 1953 sculpture The Torch Bearers frames an exploration into docent history to tease out interpretations, questions, and ideas to inform contemporary practice.