The Seattle Chinese Garden is recruiting volunteers for the next docent training program.
Docents give presentations about the Seattle Chinese Garden and lead tours of the garden site, the Song Mei Pavilion, and the Knowing the Spring Courtyard. Experienced docents may also give off-site presentations and work with K-12 student groups and their teachers.
Docent training starts in April and continues through the spring. Training includes Chinese philosophy, literature, horticulture, history, and art as they relate to Chinese gardens.
Docents also receive training in public speaking, plant identification, the history and mission of the Seattle Chinese Garden project, and traditional construction techniques used by Chinese artisans to build the structures of the Seattle garden.
Sessions will be held on four consecutive Thursday afternoons, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (April 12, April 19, April 26, and May 3). There will be an additional all-day workshop Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (end)
For more information and a docent application packet or for information on becoming a garden guide, please call Julia Freimund at 206-934-5219 or e-mail info@seattlechinesegarden.org.