National Docent Symposium 2013 "Dalí in the Details: Successful Strategies for Refreshing Your Tours from a Dalínian Perspective" Presented by

Peter Tush Dalí Museum Curator of Education

Diane Shea Williams Dalí Museum Docent Chair of the Volunteer Council 1) Who is Salvador Dalí?

and what makes the Dalí Museum so special? Salvador Dalí

Surrealist painter of dreams Salvador Dalí 1904 – 1989

Painter, writer, filmmaker, Surrealist, explorer of the unconscious, Nuclear Mystical painter, designer of ballets, architecture, clothing, book illustrations, album covers, jewelry, and commercials

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Alice Cooper Hologram – 1973 "All my ambition on the pictorial level consists of putting on canvas, with the most imperial fury of precision, the images of concrete irrationality."

- Salvador Dalí The Persistence of Memory, 1931, Museum of Modern Art, NY The Weaning of Furniture-Nutrition, 1934 Dalí’s Autobiography 1942

Cover – The Persistence of Memory 1931 The Hallucinogenic Toreador

1969-70 The Dalí Museum holds the largest collection of his art outside Spain – with 96 oil paintings and more than 5,000 other works

The , 1926

Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, Dalí Museum founders, with Dalí and his wife Gala D Daddy Longlegs of the Evening – Hope!, 1940 The New Dalí Museum Jewel Box by Tampa Bay Spiral staircase ascends to galleries

Dalí believed the spiral shape was nature’s perfect form and symbolized cosmic unity View of Tampa Bay from third floor View of the math garden

View of the labyrinth Visitors tie wristbands to the wishing tree to end their visit to the museum with a wish.

Voted #1 Attraction in Tampa Bay Area by Trip Advisor and Yelp

"Don’t go through without a docent…it really comes to life when a docent explains Dalí’s life, his art, and his fame."

"Dalí’s paintings are fascinating. DO NOT MISS THE DOCENT TOUR."

"It is vital to take one of the guided tours to gain a more complete appreciation.“

"Make sure to take a tour or several…Each docent brings a different perspective.“

"The best thing in Florida…beyond amazing museum..."

2) How Do Our Dalí Docents Create a Surreal Visitor Experience? Eleanor Reese Morse

Museum Benefactor and First Docent No two tours are ever the same The Dalí Museum received more than 300,000 visitors last year Specialty Theme Tours – Math, Science, Religion, Architecture, Provocatour, more Dalí Docents Share Their Passion The most common visitor comment we hear is "I never thought I would like Dalí" 3) How Do We Sustain a Vibrant, Engaged, Docent Community? We take the idea of community very seriously. We are one of several great museums in downtown St. Pete, and we see ourselves as a part of this larger community. While not a large museum, the Dali Museum impacts the community by bringing in over $104.5 million dollars in direct and indirect spending for the regional economy. Even though we have audio tours, our visitors almost always choose to follow the docent. The Dalí Museum offered over 4,000 tours last year We present over 347 student tours last year for 8,000 students. Currently we have 118 Dalí Docents, with 31 more in training

We arrange special docent trainings with instructors such as Michael Cassin, Education Director, Clark Art Institute We provide opportunities for seasonal workshops on abilities Docent Web Resources

We have a rich online docent resource

Coffee Talks provide opportunities for docents to hear members of our staff share new theories and ideas about the collection The Dalí Museum YouTube Site collects these public talks so they can be revisited They provide a multitude of topical ways to reinvent a tour Events like our 24 hour Dali autobiography read-a-thon create new ways to engage docents as well as the public Specialty Theme Tours challenge our docents; all the way from connecting with the minds of young visitors through our Breakfast tours… To exploring the less "family friendly" side of on a "Provoca-tour" for age-appropriate audiences We even offer tours of our building and garden separately from our gallery tours. National and International Trips We even have a docent who has used Dali’s shoe hat to create a signature look

“What made the tour so brilliant was our docent, Janice. I’m not quite sure how to find the words to describe Janice…all I can come up with are the words wacky, eccentric, unforgettable.” Pommie Travels Blog In Summary…

Point #1: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

Tour Reinvention – • We encourage new approaches and new topics to permanent collection tours In Summary…

Point #2: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

Online resources – • We provide online resources that provide immediate accessibility, thus encouraging curiosity, growth and renewed tours In Summary…

Point #3: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

Community pride – • We seek out docents who are already active in the community and bring that pride to the tours through broad programming In Summary…

Point #4: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

Transferable – • We foster enthusiasm and interest within the docent program via unique events, programs, and travel opportunities In Summary…

Point #5: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

Partnerships – • New volunteers join because they have such positive interactions with our docents at the museum and in the community

In Summary…

Point #4: Our Dalí tours have remained fresh because:

• We provide programs and events opportunities so that visitors see the pride our docents have for their tours and our museum

Ways to Keep it Fresh with volunteers: • Coffee talks with our curators bring new interpretations of familiar work • Our new building allows for new approaches to touring visitors • Collaborating on the docent class with University of South Florida • Reinstall collection periodically to force different ways of thinking & presenting collection • Trips to other Dalí-related shows expand understanding and create dialogue between our docents and theirs Dalí Junior Docent summer camps offer curriculum developed and taught by Pinellas County Visual Arts Teachers

Dalí Junior Docent summer camp of 2012 Dalí Teen Docents

Dalí Teen Docents A family-friendly event: Breakfast with Dalí Outreach Dalí & Da Vinci Dalí & Self Promotion

Dada & Surrealism

Coffee with a Curator Themes Dalí & Tattoo Art Dalí: Jewel Creations "The true painter must be able, before an empty desert to fill his canvas with extraordinary scenes."

- Salvador Dalí

Many of our special events include dressing up the part School tours School group inspired by Halsman Jump Book photo of Dalí Philippe Halsman: Dalí Atomicus, 1948

Local Trips Docents and Volunteers on trip to Lakeland