San Jose Museum of Art volunteers help art come alive for students

"Toby Fernald, a Saratoga resident and former trustee for the Museum of Art, started volunteering in 1986 and says that she and other longtime docents like Rich Karson, Jeff Bordona, Bill Faulkner see it as more than a way to pass the time. We have remained involved because we love the museum, see its great value in the community and believe in art as an integral part of all human beings which we wish to nurture, said Fernald, who also taught elementary school in Sunnyvale in the 1970s before her two sons were born."

"Let's Look at Art was launched in 1972, just a few years after the museum itself, and docents used art prints to present lessons to fourth- and fifth-graders. The program eventually expanded to include kindergarten through fifth-graders, and in the mid-'90s Fernald was part of a group that spearheaded Art in the Dark, using slide projectors to give presentations to middle-school classes. And in the 20th century, the program went digital greatly expanding its potential subjects and adding high school classes to the mix."

"Docent Tony Misch gives an art presentation to first-graders at Lincoln Elementary School in Cupertino as part of the San Jose Museum of Art's Let's Look at Art education program on Feb. 24, 2025. (Courtesy San Jose Museum of Art) In 2023, Fernald and fellow docent Tony Misch were on hand to accept the Cornerstone of the Arts Creative Impact Award from the city of San Jose, noting that the program had reached more than 1 million students in its five decades. That's a great record, but there's always more potential students than volunteers,"

Volunteer docents at the San Jose Museum of Art deliver arts education to elementary, middle, and high school students through the Let's Look at Art program. The program began in 1972 using art prints for fourth- and fifth-graders and expanded to include kindergarten through fifth grade. In the mid-1990s, docents introduced Art in the Dark with slide-projector lessons for middle-school classes. The program later digitized, broadening subject matter and adding high school offerings. Longtime volunteers cite love of the museum and belief in art's role in human development as motivations. The program earned a city Creative Impact Award and has reached over one million students, though volunteer capacity limits further expansion.

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