Press Room: Press Release

Lily Pape, a docent at SAMA since the Museum opened in 1981, has been chosen for the 2005-2006 Docent of the Year Award.  Pape has been an outstanding, dedicated and generous member of the San Antonio Museum of Art Docents for 25 years.  During her term as Docent President (2005-2006), she kept the Docent Organization informed, represented the Docent Organization at museum Board of Director meetings, and initiated the docents’ celebration of SAMA’s 25th Anniversary by asking each docent to sign up a new museum member. 

           

Pape remembers she had always loved museums, despite not having a strong background in the arts. It distressed her that the people of San Antonio might be intimidated by museums for similar reasons. She became a docent so she could provide an example of “learning about art as you go.” She chose SAMA because it was the “new” museum in town. “I wanted to get in on the ground floor,” she joked. She remembers the first exhibits being very contemporary, and the Museum as a fraction of its current size. As diverse collectors stepped forward over the years to contribute their works, however, the Museum’s strengths began to blossom. “We’ve really been blessed with amazing benefactors committed to sharing their passions and wanting to educate the community,” Pape noted, “and then they took the extra step of making sure we could keep the doors open and the lights on!”

           

In her 25 years as a docent, Pape feels her life has been broadened. “It’s been a fascinating education, and the camaraderie of the docent group is so rewarding. But the happiest moment is when you can get a child or an adult to look at that painting or piece of art a second time – to really look at it and become engaged with it. All the training is worth that moment.”

Olga Samples Davis, AT&T Director of Education, enthused, “Lily is valued for her wisdom, leadership skills, and desire to include each member of the Docent organization in events and programs. Thank you, Lily, for your dedication, serenity, and great sense of humor. You are an outstanding

SAMA volunteer!”