Tracy Young joined the Laguna Art Museum docent corps in 2009, motivated by her passion for art and the museum. “I studied architecture in college and had my own graphic design studio for 20 years,” she said. “I have always been drawn to creative occupations and people.”
A real estate broker and interior designer, Young wanted to deploy her creative energies to contributing to the community and becoming a docent seemed a perfect fit. Recently, the museum’s docent group elected Young as its docent of the year.
“I was surprised at the honor given that I had been a docent for a relatively short time, but I was told that I offer a lot to other docents during training for each exhibit and also to museum visitors,” she explained, adding that the volunteer post turned out far more demanding than she anticipated but that she stuck with it because she particularly loved contributing to children’s art education. “Being a docent broadened my view of the art world. I get as much benefit from museum visitors of all ages as they get from us.”
To prepare for her role, she took docent tours at other museums such as the Orange County Museum of Art to learn their methods. “We are a lot more interactive and hands-on than many other docent groups,” she said.
Docents do not pay dues but must be museum members. There are currently 11 docents, plus five who are taking provisional docent training with Jacqueline Bunge, curator of education. “The docent corps honored Tracy Young because she led the most tours in 2010 and was always available to assist the other docents and act as a docent substitute. Tracy’s dedication and enthusiasm are infectious, and we always receive positive feedback about her touring style from adult and student tours,” Bunge said.
Young is also a member of the Museum’s Advisory Circle, Historical Art Council, and Contemporary Collectors Council.
Docent-led tours take place every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive. 949-494-8971
