Tours de force

The earliest memory Betsy Forrest Robb has of being in an art museum is lying on her stomach, painting during a class in the Impressionist gallery of the John Herron Art Institute (now the Indianapolis Museum of Art).

"I was about 5 years old and blown away by the fact that I was looking at century-old paintings of Paris from the other side of the world," said Robb, who was born and raised in Indianapolis. "Since then I’ve had so many aha moments in art museums. They can provide valuable insights into the past and people and places far from our homes."

Robb went on to become an accomplished potter, painter and photographer. Today, as the Hono­lulu Museum of Arts’ curator of education, she generates ideas for school and adult tours that she hopes will deepen participants’ appreciation for art and inspire them to seek their own creative muse.

"I think of my job as helping guests connect with art in fun, interesting ways," Robb said. "We live in a busy, hectic world and rarely take the time to observe what’s around us. In museums many visitors glance at works of art, read the plaques beside them and walk on. Our tours encourage them to stop and study art — to think about their shapes, colors, texture, impact and the artists who created them."

Three full-time staffers and 150 volunteers ensure the museum’s education department runs smoothly. To lead the adult tours, docents must complete two years of training. "None of our tours would be possible without our volunteers," Robb said. "They make a huge commitment and we’re very grateful for that."

The Morning StARTers program has been nicknamed "Docents on Demand." "That means you can walk in any time between 10 a.m. and noon and request a tour," Robb said. "Docents are at the entrance ready to tailor your tour to whatever your interest is and whatever time you have for it, whether it’s five minutes or two hours. If you don’t have anything in mind, we can suggest topics."

In contrast, the Afternoon Focus tours are scheduled at set times and center on specific works of art. The twice-monthly Book Club is a popular "Focus" option that features a book discussion and a related tour. Selected books are posted on the museum’s website six months in advance.

"Participants buy the books, read them and get together to share their thoughts about them," Robb said. "It’s exciting to read a book about a particular era, get different perspectives about it and then examine art from that time and setting. The Book Club is a wonderful way to bring books alive through art."

According to Robb, all of the museum’s tours were designed as welcoming, engaging experiences that stimulate conversation, showcase the talent and diversity of artists past and present and teach participants about history, cultures and places to which they might not otherwise have been exposed. "Art is a window to the world," she said. "Art invigorates the mind, opens the heart and touches the soul."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.

HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART: MORE TOURS

All regular tours are included with admission. Check the website at honolulumuseum.org for more information.

MORNING STARTERS

» When: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon

» What: Suggested topics include contemporary art, Asian masterpieces and the Hawaii and Pacific collection, or tours can be customized according to specific interests.

SPOTLIGHT TOUR

» When: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1:30 p.m.

» What: Thirty-minute look at one aspect of the museum’s permanent collection; for example, a work of art, an artist or a time period. Coming up: Tuesday-Saturday, "Indonesian Ancestors"; Nov. 18-22, "Picasso as Printmaker"; Nov. 25-29, "Philippine Art."

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHT TOUR

» When: Sundays, 1:15 p.m.

» What: Sixty-minute tour of the permanent collection

TOUR + TALK STORY

» When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 2:30 p.m.

» What: Sixty-minute themed tour and a 45-minute discussion. Coming up: Tuesday and Thursday, "Bits and Pieces"; Nov. 18, 20 and 23, "Art of Meditation"; Nov. 25, 26 and 30, "Modern Love."

BOOK CLUB

» When: Last Wednesday and Saturday of each month, 1 p.m.

» What: Two-hour book discussion and guided tour of a relevant exhibit. Coming up on Dec. 3 and 6 (scheduled earlier than usual because of Christmas): V.S. Naipaul’s novel "A Bend in the River," about Salim, an Indian Muslim shopkeeper in an unnamed post-independence African country. Participants will visit the gallery of African art.

IF YOU GO

HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART

» Address: 900 S. Beretania St.

» Hours: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sunday

» Admission (includes same-day entry to the Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House): $10 for adults and free for children 17 and younger. Admission is free on the first Wednesday of every month and Bank of Hawaii Family Sundays (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month).

Kamaaina also receive free admission on July 31, Restoration Day. Admission to the shop, cafe and Robert Allerton Art Library is free.

» Phone: 532-8700

» Email: info@honolulumuseum.org

» Website: honolulumuseum.org/learn

Notes: The Honolulu Museum of Art encompasses three facilities in addition to the Beretania Street complex: Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House, Honolulu Museum of Art School and Honolulu Museum of Art First Hawaiian Center.

Tax-deductible memberships begin at $25 per person, including free admission and discounts on film showings at the Doris Duke Theatre.

YOU ARE HERE

HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART TOURS

All regular tours are included with admission. Groups of 15 or fewer can request a private guided tour of the permanent collection or special exhibitions. Groups of 10 to 25 people can request a self-guided tour of those galleries. Cost for both is $25 per group in addition to regular admission. Reservations must be made in advance. 

JAPANESE LANGUAGE TOURS

When: Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.

What: Japanese-speaking docents lead a two-hour tour of the permanent collection (this will be offered daily beginning in January).

ZIP TOUR

When: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1 p.m.

What: Twenty-minute tour of a special exhibition, which currently includes the "Art Deco Hawai’i" exhibit, on display through Jan. 11, and "Picasso Prints."

IN ADDITION

The Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House (2411 Makiki Heights Drive) offers a guided Gallery and Garden Tour, Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and on the first Wednesday of every month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It covers Spalding House’s gardens, which are filled with notable plants and beautiful sculptures, and the featured exhibit, which usually changes quarterly. On view through Jan. 4 is "HI Society" (honolulumuseum.org/art/exhibitions/14436-hi_society).