I hope everyone survived the St. Patrick’s day parades (and associated shenanigans) – personally a day to stay home for me 😊
As the class of 2023 continues their training – now split into river and walking tour groups – we welcomed their class representative to Docent Council – say hello to Catherine Thomson – when you see her on the streets be sure to ask her about her email address!
I’m also very excited about the newest member of the Board of Trustees – Lisa Pickell – Docent class of 2015, and of course member of Docent Council – it’s fantastic to have someone joining the Board who is both an active docent and member of Docent Council – congrats and welcome Lisa!
In preparation for our Docent Council meeting this month I asked ChatGPT to “Create an agenda for the Chicago Architecture Center Docent Council Meeting.” The following is the result:
- Call to Order and Welcome: The meeting will begin with the Chairperson calling the meeting to order and welcoming all members present. 2
- Approval of the Minutes: The minutes from the previous Docent Council meeting will be reviewed and approved by the members.
- Old Business: Any unfinished business from the previous meeting will be discussed and action items will be assigned to relevant members.
- New Business: The Chairperson will introduce new business items for discussion and decision-making. These may include updates on upcoming tours or events, new training initiatives, or fundraising activities.
- Committee Reports: The committee chairs will provide updates on the progress and activities of their respective committees, including any issues or concerns that require attention from the full council.
- Docent Feedback: Members will have an opportunity to provide feedback on recent tours or events, and to share any suggestions or concerns related to their experience as a docent.
- Training and Development: The Docent Council will discuss opportunities for professional development and ongoing training and explore ways to enhance the quality and effectiveness of tours and educational programs.
- Announcements: The Chairperson will make any necessary announcements, including upcoming events or opportunities, and encourage members to stay engaged with the Chicago Architecture Center.
- Adjournment: The Chairperson will officially adjourn the meeting, and members will have an opportunity to mingle and network.
A bit generic perhaps, but not bad – it even included some relevant targets for our upcoming Task Forces “opportunities for professional development and ongoing training and explore ways to enhance the quality and effectiveness of tours and educational programs.”
As you saw in the meeting summary, posted the Friday after our meeting we had several updates, including re-affirmation staff is working to improve the tour sign-up experience, and that Caroline (as ever) is monitoring docent requirements and will check-in throughout the year. If you have concerns please reach out to Caroline or Lexie and they are committed to ensuring everyone is able to meet their requirements – including with new evening tours as the Center responds to one of our key visitor feedback points and remains open later in the day!
We spent most of our time focused on Committee Co-Chairs presenting their objectives for 2023 with a focus on their goals for Q1, and any support they need from Docent Council, staff, or the docent corps. Please review below (also available here to download) and reach out to committee co-chairs if you want to get involved!
Speaking of getting involved – watch The Bridge – we will shortly have a call to action to get you to join the Strategic Task Forces we are kicking off!
Finally, I was able to join CAC CEO Eleanor Gorski and Senior Director of Program Strategy Michael “Woody” Wood and a small group of members for a walk and talk at the Center of the pop-up exhibits – Come Home: Missing Middle Infill Housing – a design competition in conjunction with the city focused on infill housing on the SE side – some really creative ideas – my favorite (once I figured out how it worked) is the Chicago Switch-Flat. Check them out at the Center now through March 26, or online!
Docent Council remains committed to communicating to you – the Docent corps – the March Docent Council notes are available on The Bridge. Please reach out to any of us with any questions you may have – and don’t forget Docent Council meetings are open to any Docents. They are typically held the in the evening of the first Tuesday of the month.
I’ll see you on the streets – please say hi!
-Ross
It was a little difficult to figure out where the link was, but I did find the link to the Committee Reports which were very enlightening. Kudos to Ross & the Communications Committee for making the info available — and to all the hardworking committees! Most impressive.
Pris
What Pris said ! Nice, Ross —
Yea – I will connect with the team. All of the images I submitted the last 2 months have disappeared when the letter is posted, and there’s no way to see the links!
We need to do better!
Thanks for reminder of Docent Council meetings on first Tuesday. Are they now live? Time? If one wishes to attend should s/he notify someone in advance? Thanks to DC and committees for tackling their tasks! Suzy Ruder