The 2001 Docent Quilt

The 2001 Docent Quilt has been affectionately created and donated to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County by the Docent Roundtable. Inspired in part by the quilts in Roland's Freeman's "Communion of the Spirits" exhibition (on display from March 18, 2001 to September 3, 2001) and by the Montclair (New Jersey) Craft Guild quilt, the 2001 Docent Quilt honors the Museum President and Director, Dr. James L. Powell, on the occasion of his retirement, and welcomes Dr. Jane Pisano as his successor.

The quilt contains 48 blocks and a centerpiece "medallion" depicting scenes, specimens, and historical artifacts at the museum. Using appliqué, embroidery, and other needlework techniques, the docents illustrate their work with schoolchildren, outreach programs and other volunteer activities.

The quilt was completed in November of 2001. Members of the Docent Roundtable, their families and friends contributed to the making of the quilt. Click here for a closer look at the quilt.

Become a Docent
Join our group of over 100 enthusiastic, motivated people who love to learn and are interested in teaching school children about the wonders of science, history, and human culture. Museum docents serve as volunteer educators for visiting school groups from September through May. First year docents participate in a 26-week-long training class where you learn from curators and staff about our 15 exhibit halls and how to facilitate the learning experiences of our young visitors. A commitment of four hours per week the first year, and two hours per week the second year is requested. No teaching experience is required.

Added perks for docents include lectures, luncheons, meetings, periodic visits to other museums and points of interest, and special museum events. We are now acceptingapplications for our annual training class, which runs from late September through mid May. Please call the Docent Program Office at (213) 763-3531 or email docent@nhm.org for additional information.

For more information on volunteering at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, please click here.