Volunteers help bring new Ringling Legacy Tours to life
SARASOTA, Fla. - A group of volunteer guides take a lot of pride in making the new and upcoming Ringling Legacy Tours come to life.
"It's really fun, because the people are really interested, and you're kind of fulfilling their thirst for knowledge," volunteer guide Ralph Verdino said.
Training for the tours
Sixty guides are participating in training for the month of January, both in a classroom setting and on-site throughout the Ringling estate.
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"Having volunteers lead tours in a museum is extra special, because they are passion-driven. They're here as volunteers. They're here because they're interested. They're curious, and they want to make connections," Ringling Museum of Art Museum Education and Training Specialist Jane Harris said.
Big picture view:
The tour, which is 60-75 minutes long, will re-tell the story of the Ringling legacy. The tour will start in the historic circus galleries, transition to the compass rose outside of Ca’ d’Zan (the Ringlings’ winter home) and end at the Museum of Art. On-location training sessions focus on one of those areas each day.
"It would be great if they could take away from this, comfort in the space. They can suss out those questions they have, think about logistics, think about what questions visitors may have," Harris said.
What they're saying:
Many of the volunteer guides are retired teachers, including Doris Forst, who’s volunteered for 15 years.
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"I think teachers like to keep teaching, except now we have a 22-acre classroom here to continue learning and teaching," Forst said.
What's next:
Harris said since the tours are visitor driven as opposed to lecture driven, each individual tour can differ, with different ones focusing on different pieces of information.
"Being on site is really important, because it brings the wonder back to seeing these wonderful objects," Verdino said. "Being in the space is really a lot of fun. I think it will really help me to point out certain things to the folks who join me on the tour."
The Ringling Legacy Tours will begin on February 1. For more information, click here.
The Source: The details in this story were gathered by Photojournalist Barry Wong rough interviews with staff and volunteers at the museum.
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