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Schoolchildren to alumni tour the museum with one of its 12 docents, whose rigorous training includes meetings, weekly readings, writing journals, and observing tours. "They give more than 1,000 hours a year to support the museum," said Tania Said Schuler, the museum's curator of education.

The docents include community members, university retirees, and Ball State students. One of those students, junior Kimberly Bortnem, an English major, says she understands learning in new ways since becoming a docent.

"I came to the museum for a class, and a great docent led the tour," she said. "I decided then that I wanted to get involved. I found that I can learn something outside a classroom. I've never had an art history class, but I'm still able to understand and talk about the art because of the program."

Annemarie Voss, a retired Ball State professor, bases her docent work on her teaching in the Honors College humanities program.

"I always incorporated art into my classes," she said. "I enjoy learning about and helping others to appreciate the art. I've learned to question so that visitors can explore a work more closely. Encouraging close examination of the art and a viewer's personal response is the most satisfying aspect of being a docent."

Learn more about the art museum, being a docent, or scheduling a museum tour.