Art Museum Receives $750,000 From Durand Estate for Docents

The docents program at the Orange County Museum of Art has received a hefty boost through an endowment gift from the estate of Camille and Eric Durand.

The donation of approximately $750,000 will help support the volunteer corps of docents who guide visitors through the museum’s exhibits and present art education programs to schools and community groups.

The gift is the biggest donation to the docent program, museum officials said. The Docent Council, a 140-member group led by president Jessica Behrens, also will be renamed “The Camille and Eric Durand Docent Council” in honor of the couple.

Camille Durand, who died in November 1999, was an early supporter of the former Newport Harbor Art Museum. Although she was not a docent, she donated significant works of art to the collection, including sculptures by Robert Cremean. Eric Durand died nearly three decades ago.