Mia Guides explore Atlanta’s vibrant museum scene and engage and inspire symposium attendees.
The guides who attended the 2024 Atlanta National Docent Symposium’s were Mia’s Debbi Hegstrom; Fran Megarry, in her role on the National Docent Council; and guides Anna Bethune, Loreen Fripp, Sheila-Marie Untiedt, Kit Wilson, Marne Zafar, and me. This is the first year the symposium opened the registration to more people from each institution. Mia is one of the largest that attends, so it was great so many of our guides were there.
The High Museum of Atlanta was the host, and it was thrilling to view Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection, Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys; and the Georgia O’Keeffe: “My New Yorks” exhibits.
The keynote talk was facilitated by Katherine Jentleson, the Senior Curator of American Art and the Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the High Museum of Art. The discussion was with three Atlanta-based quilters, O.V Bantley, Marquette Johnson, and Carolyn W. White, whose artworks were featured in the exhibit Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection.
Our guides also enjoyed off-site tours such as Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum’s ancient art, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and several others.
The breakout sessions were Friday morning and all day Saturday. A happy hour opening reception was at the High Museum on Friday, where we wandered the special exhibits on our own. Saturday afternoon at the High included Beyond the Frame: Gallery Experiences and Conversations at the High panel discussion. This was followed by docent-led tours. You can imagine how lively the discussion was with these attendees! Yes, the term “docent” is still being used, and we noted there were different interpretations of “guides” amongst the museums.
Kit, Lyn and Marne with the much-loved Nut Goodie treats.
Three of Mia’s guides presented at the Friday night “Sip and Share.” Marne, Kit, and I gave a mini-presentation of the ways Mia’s guides connect and support each other. We had an attractive PowerPoint designed by Marne, which we used as a springboard to illustrate discussion. Our ways of connecting were our Guide Council, Buddy Groups, Book Tours, G3, and our online publication, Insight. There was lively discussion and our table was crowded. You know the old saying, "Leave them wanting more?” Well, we did, and the National Docent Symposium asked us to propose Book Tours and Online Publication break-out sessions for 2026
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