Volunteer Roles and Steps

Volunteer Roles

  • Front Desk Associate
  • Check In Attendant
  • Gallery Monitor
  • Office Assistant
  • Docents
  • Events

Volunteer Opportunity summaries:

    Front Desk Associate  Front Desk Associates greet AMA visitors with a friendly smile as they enter our doors. You will report to the Front Desk manager who will inform you what the tasks for that day are. They will train you on our ticketing software and gift shop checkout system, when applicable. Another part of this volunteer shift involves working on maintaining cleanliness and organization in our gift shop. You will be one of the first AMA representatives visitors meet! Be on your A-game. Important skills for this role are customer service and communication.
    Check In Attendant  Check-In Attendants stand at our exhibit podiums and scan visitors’ tickets as they enter the galleries. Attendants also answer any questions they may have about the museum. You will report to the Front Desk Manager to receive training on our scanners. Additionally, it is important that you are familiar with our exhibits to be able to answer any questions visitors may have. Important skills for this role are customer service and communication.
    Gallery Monitor  During our operating hours, we get a lot of visitors walking through our galleries. Our gallery attendant volunteers play a critical role in maintaining our exhibits. You will be walking throughout the exhibit and monitoring our visitors by making sure they keep an appropriate distance from our art, answering any questions they may have, and being an AMAzing representative of our institution. You must be comfortable answering questions about the art and also must be able to tell visitors to not touch and keep their distance from the art, when applicable. If visitors continue to not engage with the art respectfully, you will inform the Front Desk Manager.
    Office Assistant  Volunteer with the Arlington Museum of Art staff full-time office. Learn what goes into working behind-the-scenes at a museum. These positions are done after speaking with our volunteer coordinator to ensure the experience you receive volunteering is applicable to our needs and your interests.
    Docent Our volunteer docents are an essential role at the AMA. They provide opportunities for visitors to learn and engage with the art on a deeper level through our docent guided tours. After completing the secondary docent application, all docents are required to go through staff-led docent trainings, which teach the values of the AMA and in-depth knowledge about our exhibitions. Docents are required to go through a background check at the cost of the applicant, annual docent dues of $20, and a month-long training course over our exhibits, concluding with giving a tour to AMA staff to showcase all that you’ve learned. If this is of interest to you, reach out to the Director of Visitor Experience to complete the secondary docent application.
    Events Events are on an as-needed basis. Occasionally, the AMA will host different events in our space. When needed, there will be volunteer opportunities for these events. Event descriptions and information will be provided upon registration.


Volunteer Training

Step 1- Register for Get Connected! Make a Volunteer profile- you can do this HERE.

Step 2 - Volunteer Orientation: Once you have registered, sign up for your volunteer pre-screening and orientation here.

Step 3- Volunteer! Welcome aboard. We are so thankful for your volunteerism, and we can't wait to have you join us.

Docent Training

Our docent program is done through a secondary application.

Please email Shelby at shelby@arlingtonmuseum.org if you are interested.