Stickley Museum Beginning Training Sessions for Docents

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, located in Parsippany, NJ, is in search of docents (tour guides) to join its thriving volunteer staff. A National Historic Landmark, the Stickley Museum is the former home of Gustav Stickley, prominent leader and voice of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, who built a design empire in the early 20^th century addressing the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement. The museum is open for tours year round Thursday through Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.

Docents play a vital role in the daily operations of the museum, providing tours and serving as the “face” of the museum for visitors from around the world. Though tours are given Thursday through Sunday, the museum is especially in need of docents on Thursdays and Fridays. After completing a volunteer application and coming in for an interview, potential docents are required to a complete a free 4-5 session docent training course called “The Stickley Seminar.” Although potential docents are welcome to apply any time, a new session is beginning on Saturday, June 22 (additional dates to be determined). 

“Of all our volunteer opportunities, giving tours requires the most training,” says Education Director Vonda Givens, who oversees the program, “but it is rewarding work. Being a docent is great for anyone with a curious mind who enjoys meeting new people.

Retired teacher and longtime volunteer Sandy Cherniack says, “Volunteering gives me a sense of achieving,” “I have always been a person who loves to interact with people, impart knowledge and is motivated to learn. This is why I became a teacher. Now that I am retired and a volunteer at the Stickley Museum, I find that I can continue this. In addition, it has motivated me to learn more, and I am constantly exposed to new ideas and concepts…..Volunteering has given me a new outlook on my life.”

For further information about becoming a docent, please call the museum at 973-540-0311 or email education@stickleymuseum.org

Craftsman Farms, the former home of noted designer Gustav Stickley, is owned by the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills and is operated as The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms by The Craftsman Farms Foundation, Inc. The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New Jersey. Restoration of the National Historic Landmark, Craftsman Farms, is made possible, in part, by a Save America’s Treasures Grant administered by the National Parks Service, Department of the Interior, and by support from Morris County Preservation Trust, The New Jersey Historic Trust, and individual members. The Craftsman Farms Foundation received an operating grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission. The Craftsman Farms Foundation gratefully acknowledges a grant from the New Jersey Cultural Trust. Educational programs are funded, in part, by grants from the Arts and Crafts Research Fund and PSE&G.