Art Docent Program | Learning about art | Making art

This art program broadens an elementary child’s sense of the world around him, arouses curiosity for research, teaches respect for works of art, and gives every student a taste of what it would be like to visit an art museum. The program not only enriches the lives of the entire student body, but the volunteers and staff as well.

In the classroom, the interaction between the Art Docent volunteer and student is immeasurable. Compare the childhood experience of a parent reading to a child on a regular basis. This positive connection continues into adulthood when reading can fondly be remembered as a place to go, a source of salvation or peace of mind. The Art Docent volunteer takes the students on a similar, but visual, journey during the classroom presentations. By using his or her imagination the student can travel from classroom to foreign museum or from one time period to another in an instant. This sets the stage for developing creative thinking skills while increasing the students desire to explore, on their own, more about unknown people, places and art.

Barbara Herberholz is an absolute genius in developing, packaging and delivering curriculum in art education that engages students of all ages and makes the world of art accessible to all. She has been undaunted by severe budget cuts because she believes that all children have the right to know of their heritage in art that begins with cave paintings and evolves to include current technology. Barbara Herberholz is truly a national treasure in the world of art education.

We have had so much fun with our new Art Docent Program this year! At the beginning of the school year, we had the creator of the Art Docent Program, Barbara Herberholz and her daughter present an in-service for our staff during the staff development before the school year began. Next, we received all of the prints and portfolios for our school and another teacher and I checked to see if all prints were there. We distributed the portfolios and guides to each grade level. Next we ordered the art supplies and invited parents to become Art Docents in their child’s class.

This is a comment from a parent of one of our first grade students who arrived home from school one day after completing an Art Docent lesson with a parent Art Docent volunteer:

He came home from school yesterday and launched himself into my arms and said, “Mom…..PAINT!” As I was trying to figure this out his brother filled me in that you had been there and given them his art lesson. Well, my son was so excited to tell me all about it he just skipped all the filler words and went straight to the important one: PAINT! It was so great to see him excited about art and um yes paint, that I had to write and say “Thank you” so very much for taking the time to do this for the kids. It means so much to him, and I’m sure to all of them. What a wonderful and enriching thing to give them.

I believe that we are implementing the Art Docent Program at our school very well, and I also think that this is a program that will continue to become even more popular at our school in the future as our students and Art Docents progress through the grade-levels. I am very grad that we purchased this program and love the promotion of fine art that is happening in our school because of it!

"The Art Docent Program replaces what has been missing in California Schools: Art. We have brought it back through this program."