Volunteer

Volunteers are an integral part of the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College!

As a volunteer you will help to increase awareness, understanding, and enjoyment of art for people of all ages by providing support for the Maier’s educational programs and visitor services. You don’t have to be an art expert to volunteer at the Maier! We look for individuals who enjoy learning about American art and history, are open-minded and enthusiastic, appreciate meeting new people, and want to give back to the community.

If you want to contribute your time, energy, and passion to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art, the Maier offers a range of volunteer opportunities.

Testimonial from one of our volunteers:

The Maier has such a strong volunteer program with so many benefits. Through volunteering, I have learned so much, through so many venues – training every week, reading the resources available to us while I work at the front desk, learning from my fellow docents while assisting with tours, doing research on exhibitions or for the conference, and auditing classes at the College. As a member of the Maier, I would add attending special lectures, spotlight tours, and being a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. But the greatest benefit is how many wonderful people I have met through being included in the [Virginia Docent Exchange] group, working with and meeting other amazing docents.

-Elizabeth R., May 2019

Docents

Docents help visitors make meaning of the works of art on view! Docents are volunteer guides who work in pairs to facilitate interactive tours for school-age children, families, and adults.

During the year, docents attend up to 20 hours of training on museum education and touring techniques, artistic processes, information about the museum’s collection and changing exhibitions, and the history of American Art, the Maier, and Randolph College. Docents are expected to lead or assist approximately 15 tours throughout the year and attend weekly training which occurs on most Mondays from 1:00 – 2:30 pm throughout the year.

Receptionists

Receptionists are the face of the Maier! Receptionists greet tour groups and visitors, and provide general information.

Receptionists are trained on the history of the Maier Museum of Art and Randolph College, key works from the collection and changing exhibitions, and emergency preparedness protocols. Receptionists are scheduled for 2-hour shifts Wednesday through Sunday. Receptionists are asked to commit to at least two shifts per month.

Behind-the-Scenes: Throughout the year, volunteers are given a variety of administrative opportunities such as data entry and filing, cleaning up automatically generated captions on lecture videos, preparing arts & craft materials, and more! At times, volunteers may work with Randolph College students.

Video captioning (remote opportunity)

We need a few volunteers to help us clean up the computer-generated captions on videos of our events such as the Berlind Symposium and lectures before we post them online. We have a small backlog of videos and a number of upcoming events in 2024 that will need this attention, making this an ongoing volunteer opportunity. Captioning our videos is essential for people with hearing impairments plus many others may want to watch our videos in an environment where they can politely play the video without sound (for instance, at work in a cube farm or in a public place such as a coffee shop). Volunteers can work on captioning from their home computers. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Benefits

Maier volunteers enjoy access to exclusive lectures, tours, demonstrations and workshops, documentaries, and field trips that help expand our understanding of the Collection and rotating exhibitions. Plus, once a minimum number of service hours are met, volunteers are qualified to audit a selection of art history and American history courses offered at Randolph College.

Application Process

Docent and Receptionist volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, have basic computer and communication skills, be reliable and responsive, and be able to commit to the Maier for at least one year. Volunteers are expected to submit to a background check and are strongly encouraged to maintain active status as a member of the Maier Museum of Art.

New docent applications are accepted in the fall, spring, and summer prior to the start of training sessions. Applications for new receptionists are accepted on a rolling basis and filled depending on need. All applicants must participate in an interview and attend one volunteer orientation.

For more information or to receive a volunteer application, contact: museum@randolphcollege.edu | 434-947-8136 x. 4.