Gardiner Musesum

Volunteering

Become a Volunteer at the Gardiner Museum!

Volunteers are an integral part of the successful operation of the Gardiner Museum. They contribute through the Gardiner Volunteer Committee (GVC), which facilitates the services of some 100+ members to support a wide range of activities, including greeting and admitting visitors, providing sales and service support to customers in the Gift Shop, leading tours of the collections and exhibitions, and preserving the history of the Museum through the archives and the Gail Brooker Library.

The many benefits of volunteering at the Gardiner include:

• Building new skills
• Working with a friendly and enthusiastic team
• Participating in  events and excursions
• Discounts on programs, and at the Gift Shop
• Reciprocal benefits at other participating cultural institution

OPPORTUNITIES

We have five main areas that volunteers can contribute to at the Museum as follows:

Front Desk – volunteers greet visitors, process admissions through our POS (Point of Sale) system, and provide information on the Museum and the programs and services offered.

Gift Shop – volunteers must enjoy the retail atmosphere and selling the merchandise featured in our Shop.  Providing information on the artists to our visitors is key as well as using our POS (Point of Sale) system to input transactions.

Meet and Greet – volunteers are located on the second floor to provide additional information about the Museum, its history and the permanent collection. 

Docents – volunteers go through a rigorous course of study at the Museum to become a docent.   This course is only offered every few years.  Graduate docents provide tours of the permanent collection and special exhibits.

Archives/Library – volunteers in Archives must be detail oriented and interested in preserving the history of the Museum.  Volunteers working in the Library provide services to researchers and others interested in ceramics.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Should you wish to become a volunteer member, the first step is to contact us.  We have three options available for this:

• APPLY ONLINE. See below
• Email us at mail@gardinermuseum.ca
• Call 416.408.5071

We will contact you and set up a time to discuss your interest and our needs.  If your background and our needs match, then you may be invited in for a face to face interview.

Training and orientation takes place through group sessions and one-on-one shadowing with experienced volunteers during a minimum three month probationary period.

In addition to committing to provide a minimum of 80 hours of service each year, volunteers are required to become members of the Museum and join the Gardiner Volunteer Committee (GVC).