Surrey Art Gallery invites volunteers to join its docent program

Surrey Art Gallery is inviting volunteers to join its docent program as it winds down celebrations marking its 50th anniversary. Longtime docents Evelyn Zaklan and Saker Senaratne reflected on the volunteers, past and present, who have helped shape the gallery since its early years. The program had welcomed its first participants by the fall of 1976.

Docents are volunteer educators who guide kindergarten-to-Grade 7 school groups through seasonal exhibitions and permanent installations. Through inquiry-based tours, they encourage children to ask questions, share interpretations and engage with contemporary art through discussion and embodied learning. The gallery says docents lead nearly 150 tours each year for local schools, and that many children are visiting an art gallery for the first time.

Volunteer Programmer Johanna Lasner visited Senaratne last summer as she marked 37 years of service, and Zaklan as she marked her 28th year. Zaklan said the role offers continuing learning through sessions with artists and curators, artmaking workshops and collaboration with fellow docents. Senaratne said her family values contributing to the community and supporting experiences that enrich everyday life, particularly art education.

Questions about becoming a volunteer docent can be directed to Lasner at [email protected].