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Docent Council

BECOME A DOCENT AND LEAD OUR TOURS

Tours and activities at The Gamble House are made possible by a large family of specially-trained volunteer docents.Would you like to welcome visitors to Charles and Henry Greene’s 1908 masterpiece, guide them through the House, and participate in special activities?

The Docent Council of The Gamble House, an organization of dedicated, trained volunteers, was founded in 1966 and is crucial to the operation of the House. Docents, after completing the training program, conduct personal, unscripted tours. In addition, they staff the Greene & Greene Permanent Exhibition at the Huntington and The Gamble House Bookstore, and through specialized committees, are fully involved with the daily operation of this National Historic Landmark.

ARE YOU A PROSPECTIVE DOCENT?

  • Do you have a curiosity or interest in architecture, design, historic houses, the Arts and Crafts
    __movement, or history?
  • Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge and passion with interested people?
  • Would you like the pleasure of introducing the exquisite work of Charles and Henry Greene to
    __people of all ages?
  • Would you like to be a member of this special family that ensures that The Gamble House stays
    __open to the public?
  • Would you like to work in a stimulating, beautiful and historically significant building?
  • Would you like to be on the team that creatively addresses how a historic house fits into
    __today’s technology-driven environment?

If so, YOU ARE a prospective docent! Please email us to request an “Expression of Interest” form.

DOCENT TRAINING

Tours and activities at The Gamble House are made possible by trained volunteer docents who welcome visitors, conduct tours, and participate in special activities. At the start of each year, the Docent Council conducts a 16-week class — in two separate phases — to train tour docents. After 10 Saturday morning classes, you become a “provisional tour docent” and start to guide groups through the House. Docents that are employed commit to 60 hours a year; non-working docents commit to 120 hours per year. Although the tour route is prescribed, you personalize your own script. This allows you to cover basic information while enhancing the tour based on your own interests and passions. In September, class reconvenes for six weeks to cover a broader view of the Arts & Crafts movement, the Greenes, and The Gamble House collection of decorative arts. The class culminates with a graduation dinner and a warm welcome as a fully trained Gamble House Docent.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR YOU AS A DOCENT?

  • You become an integral part of The Gamble House family, a large group of volunteers and
    __staff dedicated to the care and preservation of the House for now and for future generations.
  • You are exposed to additional educational opportunities.
  • You are eligible to participate in activities, special events, and tours not open to the general public.
  • After 2 years as a tour docent you may expand your involvement by selecting other duties. These
    __include the flower and hospitality committees, working in The Gamble House Bookstore, the
    __Greene and Greene archives, the Greene and Greene exhibition at the Huntington Library
    __and Art Collections, and more.