Volunteering at the Arlington Museum of Art

How to Get Started Volunteering at the Museum

The Arlington Museum of Art is a non-profit organization, so they rely on people volunteering and donating their time. If you want to be a volunteer, you need to go to the drop down menu on their home page and click on the third choice that says volunteer. Then you can fill out the application, and it will go to their volunteer email account. Once they get it, they will put the contact information in their database. They will send you a confirmation email and an information packet which has an outline of what volunteers do at the museum. Then you can sign up for the hours that you can volunteer.

Basic Volunteer Criteria

Volunteers have to be at least 17 years old, which is basically a high school senior or junior going into their senior year. They have volunteers that are students from the University of Texas at Arlington. The students that usually volunteer from the college are looking for service projects for student organizations. Fraternities and sororities volunteer for group service projects. High school students volunteer during the summer because they need hours for a club.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Volunteers are responsible for greeting guests at the front door. They check people in at the front desk so that they can see the exhibits. They sell the merchandise in the gift shop, and they unpack the artwork. The volunteers receive training so that they can give a tour around the museum. They will be able to show guests the art pieces that are important or tell them interesting facts about the artwork. Volunteers are guides that show the exhibits and add extra information. They are given talking points so that they can talk to people and start a conversation about the artwork.

They also help around the office with office tasks. They send mailers with the information about upcoming exhibits. They print and mail membership cards. Volunteers are responsible for opening the museum by turning on the lights and getting the front desk set up for when the museum is open for business. They make sure that everything is put away and the museum is clean when the guests come to look at the exhibits. Volunteers also close the museum by taking everything down, locking up the cash drawers, shutting off the lights, and locking the doors.

What is your opinion about volunteering? Would you volunteer at the Arlington Museum of Art?

Bre'ana Davis is a journalism major at the University of Texas at Arlington that specializes in the fine arts.