Volunteers needed at art museums

The Harvard University Art Museums are seeking volunteers interested in public art education for its Museum Docent Program. The Museum Docents are a group of approximately 34 volunteer guides who give tours of Harvard’s three art museums: the Fogg Art Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum.

Approximately 10 prospective docents will be chosen to enter an eight-month training program conducted by the museums. The training program will begin on Sept. 18, and will meet on Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For more information or to apply to the program, please call Lynne Stanton, (617) 495-4402.

Applicants should have a strong interest in art, a desire to learn about Harvard’s collections, an ability to speak in front of an audience, and an ability to teach public and community groups of all ages and backgrounds. We are particularly interested in applicants who will commit to learning the Sackler collections of Asian and Ancient art, those who have experience working with children, and those who are fluent in Spanish. Docents are expected to attend all training sessions, which will be provided without charge. For a period of two years following the completion of the training, they will be expected to give a minimum of two one-hour tours per week, and to attend semi-monthly orientation and scheduling meetings.

As part of their training, the prospective docents will attend specially planned lectures, seminars, and gallery talks by Harvard curators and professors, and will make trips to local museums. Docents will also have non-credit access to Harvard courses in art history as well as access to the research facilities in the Art Museums.