Guide guests from Rhode Island and around the globe through the Golden Age of Providence! Share your passion for art, architecture, and history by bringing to life the stories of the people who lived and worked at Lippitt House in the 19th Century. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, this year’s tours will explore the gradual expansion of suffrage in the 19th and 20th centuries and how voting rights impacted both Lippitt family members and servants as well as threats to voting rights today.

What docents do: Welcome visitors and guide them through Lippitt House Museum by conducting tours for groups of 2 to 10 people. Docents connect the museum’s collection, stories, and special exhibit installation commemorating the Women’s Suffrage Centennial to visitors’ interests. Occasionally, docents assist with museum programs and events.

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Qualifications: Docents are life-long learners with excellent oral communication skills, an ability to connect with audiences of all kinds, and an interest in the preservation of Lippitt House, the collection and grounds. Docents convey the significance of the museum for all by highlighting the museum’s contribution to the cultural vibrancy of Providence and Rhode Island.

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Learning and training: Learning is ongoing as a docent. Museum staff provide training through group sessions, one-on-one coaching, and self-study materials. Docents learn background information about the house and its collection of objects, the Lippitt family, the servants who lived here, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the Golden Age of Providence (1865-1900). Techniques for giving tours are part of the training.

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Time commitment: Tour season is May through October. The museum asks docents to volunteer twice a month on Fridays and third Saturday afternoons. Total volunteering time averages 10 hours per month. Training for the 2020 tour season begins in April.

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To apply: Please send an email to Cathy Saunders, Curator of Education, explaining why you are interested in being a docent and include any relevant experience you may have. Feel free to send a resume as well.