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The Philadelphia-based Penn Museum boasts some of the world’s most impressive permanent collections of art and artifacts. But the renowned museum was missing something critical ̶ the diverse voices of people from the regions and cultures represented in the museum’s collections. Ellen Owens, Director of Learning and Public Engagement at the Penn, came up with the idea to seek out and train refugees and immigrants who could put the museum’s collections into a personal, cultural context for visitors. The first-of-its-kind Global Guides program was born.
"We really wanted to have the narratives of lots of different people, to bring the authentic voices of people that live in other places into the galleries of the museum," said Owens. With extensive collections ranging from Latin America, to all over the African continent and the Middle East, and a solid number of Philadelphia residents hailing from those regions, the program was a natural fit for the museum.
The Global Guides come from all corners of the world: Iraq, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico, Guatemala, and Angola. The docents receive a crash course in ancient history and archaeology, and work alongside professional storytellers who guide them in how and when to present their connections to the artifacts. They are paid US$20 an hour for their work, empowering the new Americans with a steady paycheck and the opportunity to practice their English skills. "One of the big goals of this project was actually to provide jobs for people that are immigrants and refugees," Ellen explained.
Another bonus for the docents is an introduction to the American workplace. Said Kevin Schott, Associate Director of interpretative programs at the Penn Museum, the docents learn things “like how to get sick time, HR procedures, W-2 forms, and how to ask for a day off.”
The program is especially effective in attracting visitors who are not enthusiastic museum patrons. For those who may be resistant to spending an afternoon staring at relics behind glass, a personal story can transform an ancient artifact into a living, breathing piece of history. Take the example of guide Moumena Saradar, a Syrian refugee and mother of five, whose favorite part of the museum tour is the huge collection of gold jewelry from Mesopotamian Queen Puabi:
"I love Queen Puabi because she reminds me of my wedding day and wedding customs and traditions," Moumena explained to the museum guests. "On my wedding day — guess what — I got approximately two pounds of real gold. So I got that amazing feeling, like — I'm a queen!"
While the jewelry is certainly stunning on its own, visitors respond differently when they connect the artifacts with the museum guide standing in front of them, understanding that the ancient relics on display reflect cultures and traditions that still exist today.
So far, the program has been wildly successful. The numbers speak for themselves — according to the Penn Museum, attendance has spiked significantly since the Global Guides program launched in 2018. A third of visitors state that they’re coming along because they want to tour with a Global Guide. The program has made waves in the wider museum world as well. The Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford in England has followed suit, creating their own Global Guides program.
For many docents, the museum has become a slice of home away from home. Clay Katongo, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, beamed as he described how giving tours of the museum’s reputed Africa collection makes him feel connected to his ancestors. "I love this place," Katongo said. "This is my culture. This is my story."
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