March 9 to March 16
IDEA Tip:
From the training with Chezare Warren, he encouraged guides and docents to pay attention to the body language of tour participants. When you see kids or adults REALLY interested in something they see, leave space to address that interest! That is one of the empathetic connections you can make with your group.
March 2 to March 8
IDEA Tip:
On your next tour, consider incorporating an opportunity for inviting nonverbal participation. Participation encompasses more than voicing a response. Though open-ended questions create opportunities for discussion, not all visitors will be comfortable with voicing their ideas, so some opportunities should be presented on the tour for nonverbal participation. For more ideas, check out this link.
February 24 to March 1
IDEA Tip:
For those of you who are lead docents or guides, please consider including the above information in your initial email to your school contact or tour contact. The drum will be beating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a loud beat sounds in 4 to 8 second intervals. If any students will be impacted by loud noise, you can assure the school contact that the earplugs will be available for use if needed.
For all who are touring, if your route takes you by the Rotunda, it is good to give a heads-up to your group that you will be walking by the noise, and explain that it may be heard in the galleries surrounding the Rotunda.
February 17 to 23
IDEA Tip:
Guides and docents have already encountered questions from visitors about the Ai Weiwei installation on Mia’s front columns. This eye-catching installation will spark visitors’ curiosity, so take some time to learn more about the artist and the installation. For a quick summary, read the information posted on artsmia.org, via this link. Gabe Ritter also discusses this installation in his lecture (video link). Here is an article from 2016, with a brief history of this work.
February 10 to 16
IDEA Tip:
If you are giving tours this spring, visitors will definitely be curious about the new installation by PostCommodity in our Rotunda. Spend some time learning more about this site-specific installation and reflecting on the reasons for its location so you can share this on your tours. For a quick summary, read the information posted on artsmia.org, via this link. Gabe Ritter also discusses this installation in his lecture (video link).
February 3 to February 9
IDEA Tip:
As February is Black History Month, incorporate some works by African American artists into your tour. The lecture on January 17 by Suzanne Roberts and Jean Ann Durades as well as the gallery talk on January 30 for the rotation in Mapping Black Identities gives great background on various artists and their art. (For links to those training sessions, see above in this message.)
January 27 to February 2
IDEA Tip:
Resources have been posted on the IPE site in support of conversations on gender pronouns:
January 20 to 26
IDEA Tip:
Use a LED flashlight to point out details in the artwork. Allow visitors to use the flashlight, too. If you have one student or person who is not participating, ask them to assist you by shining the flashlight at the artwork. It is a way for them to participate in a nonverbal manner. Five small LED flashlights are now available in the Tour Office for your use. After you use a flashlight on your tour, please return it to the Tour Office so they will remain available for others.
January 13 to 19
IDEA Tip:
Every tour is a learning opportunity, not only for the students, but also for you. To review how best to practice cultural fluency when giving a tour to school or youth groups, read through the tips via this link.
January 6 to 12
IDEA Tip:
Your introduction is vital in setting the stage for an inclusive tour or art cart facilitation. Language matters. The choices you make in the questions you initially ask visitors and how you address visitors reverberate through the tour or facilitation. With the start of a new year, take a moment to look through the best practices for welcoming visitors to Mia, via this link.