As part of a yearlong project devoted to the work of painter Thomas Hart Benton, Doris King's art students at Clarkrange High School trained to become docents for a travelling exhibit King brought to the school as part of her 2011 Award of Recognition for Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities. Over 900 students and adults from the town saw the exhibit during its stay at Clarkrange. And like the best museum educators, King's classes surveyed their audience to gauge the effect of their work. According to King, "Only 32% of students at the high school level have ever been to an art museum. Most students knew about the Great Depression, but had no idea it influenced the production of art. Very few recognized art could or should be used to study history."
