All volunteer positions require a one year minimum commitment. To ensure your skills stay up to date and our volunteer support is consistent, we ask all volunteers to take on two shifts a month or to contribute 80 hours a year, whichever best suits your schedule.

Archives

At this time we are not currently accepting volunteer applications for the Archives. Please check back in the future for new opportunities.

Archives Volunteers help preserve the history of the Gardiner Museum and the Gardiner’s volunteers. Archives Volunteers typically work shifts together onsite in the Museum’s Gail Brooker Ceramic Research Library on Wednesdays from 10 am – 1 pm. Prior archival training is not required for this role, but would be an asset. An ability to positively collaborate on group projects, keen attention to detail, a passion for research, and interest in the Gardiner Museum are essential to this role.

Gallery Education

Education Volunteers act as ambassadors for the Gardiner Museum, providing visitors with information about the collection and animating the public spaces. They have advanced knowledge and enthusiasm for the works in our collection and actively enhance the vision and mission of the Museum. 

Training for Education Volunteers involves several workshops with Gardiner Staff and a significant amount of self directed learning. Additional training is provided on an ongoing basis to reflect updates to the Museum’s collection and pedagogical approach. Previous experience as an educator or tour guide is not required, but a passion for sharing knowledge, confidence in leading and addressing groups, and the ability to absorb and parse large amounts of information are essential for this role.

Studio Programs

Programs Volunteers help facilitate our public family clay activities and regular children’s clay classes. Opportunities include supporting our weekly Family Sunday clay activities and our clay classes for children aged 5 – 13.

Volunteers must provide a completed police reference check, as well as have an enthusiasm for interacting with young children and families and the ability to carry heavy materials (clay), move furniture, and be fully mobile for periods of two hours at a time.

Front Desk

Front Desk Volunteers welcome visitors to the Museum, process admissions using a point of sale (POS) system, and provide general information to visitors both in person and over the telephone. 

Prior customer service experience is an asset but is not required; more relevant is an interest in and confidence interacting with our communities in person, an ability and openness towards learning new computer systems and remembering changing procedures, and the ability to absorb information and share it with the public. 

Library

Library Volunteers provide library services to Gardiner Staff, the public, and private researchers, such as cataloguing new additions, finding resources, and ensuring the collection is safely and properly stored. Volunteers are based in the Gail Brooker Ceramic Research Library, a part of the University of Toronto’s library system, located onsite at the Gardiner Museum. Direct experience in a library setting is required, as is a willingness to learn the systems in place, a passion for finding and providing information to an array of different audiences, and the ability to work independently.

Shop

Shop Volunteers provide customers with information about artists and their work, process sales using a point of sale (POS) system, safely package purchases, and assist staff with retrieving inventory from the Shop Storage area. Shop volunteers can work in teams of two, but may also have shifts where they are the only representative in the Shop. Prior retail experience is an asset, but is not required for this position. We ask that Shop Volunteers have a passion for ceramics, confidence in engaging the public, and the ability to stand for periods of time.

Before you apply to become a Gardiner Museum volunteer, please review our minimum requirements to ensure it is the right opportunity for you:

• You are able to commit a minimum of one year of service, entailing two shifts a month or 80 hours over the course of the year
• You are at least 18 years of age 
• You have access to email and the internet and are comfortable using the internet to view and schedule shifts and respond to Museum communications
• You are willing to complete free, online AODA training (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)
• You will commit to adhering to the Museum’s Code of Conduct
• If applicable, you will provide a complete police check for the Province of Ontario

We onboard new volunteers once a year. Applications are open year round, but our intake period begins in earnest each January, with an Information Session for invited applicants in March. The Information Session is an opportunity to learn more about the Gardiner’s Volunteer Community and to confirm your interest in moving forward with training.

Comfortable with the requirements and interested in joining our Volunteer Community? Fill out our application form here.

Can I volunteer in multiple areas of the Museum? 

Volunteers can join multiple teams, once they are fully trained in an initial area and if there is sufficient demand for additional support in other areas of volunteering.

If I start in one area, can I switch my support to another area later?

Transitioning between teams is possible, but is contingent on the need for additional support in that area. The timeline to be trained in a new area of volunteer support is subject to the Museum’s discretion.

When can I start volunteering? 

We onboard new volunteers once a year, with a varying number of applicants trained based on the need we have for support and our capacity to train. If your application meets the requirements of the team, you will receive an invitation to an Information Session where you can meet staff and existing volunteers, tour the Museum, and learn more about training. The length of your training is dependent on the area in which you are volunteering and the speed at which you can demonstrate the skills required. 

I’m interested in volunteering beyond the scope of areas offered? Is this possible? 

At this point in time, we can only accommodate volunteering in the set role and shifts we have available.

What kind of accommodations can you make for varying abilities? 

We are a fully accessible building and welcome anyone to apply for volunteering, however, there are certain roles that do require the ability to stand for periods of time (Family Programs, Shop), use a computer (Front Desk, Shop, Library, Archives), and carry heavy objects (Shop, Family Programs). If you have questions about an accommodation, please indicate it in your application and we can address your specific question as it relates to the role that you are interested in. 

I’m only available to volunteer at certain times of day/year, is that possible?

To ensure the best use of our training resources, we require 80 hours a year as a minimum contribution. We prefer that volunteers contribute their time across the year, but we do understand that people go on vacation, and have life, work, and family commitments that prevent them from taking on volunteer work.

Do volunteers need to be Museum members?

No, Gardiner volunteers are not obligated to hold Museum membership. 

How much training will I need?

The length of your training is dependent on the area of Museum activity that you are supporting. As a general rule we expect all Archives, Library, Front Desk, Shop and Programs volunteers to be fully trained and taking on shifts within two months. Education volunteers require additional training and assessment, and are expected to demonstrate progress against self-directed learning about the Museum collection. A six month learning period should be anticipated prior to independently engaging visitors in the galleries. 

Do volunteers require previous museum experience? 

No, we do not ask for any previous experience working or volunteering in Museums. Instead, we are interested in transferable skills that could be relevant (engaging the public, interacting with children, using computers, providing customer service in person or on the telephone) that would adapt well to the requirements of Gardiner Museum volunteers. 

I applied to volunteer and have not been invited to an Information Session. Can I reapply?

The Gardiner receives more applications to volunteer than we are able to onboard annually. Not receiving an invitation to an Information Session does not mean you are not a good candidate to volunteer. We welcome you to resubmit your application annually, and encourage you to highlight your transferable skills, outline your availability, and let us know what it is about you that would make you a great Gardiner volunteer.

The Douglas G. Gardner Award is presented annually by the staff of the Gardiner Museum to a volunteer who exemplifies a passion for ceramics, a welcoming attitude, and a love of knowledge-sharing.

This award was created to honour Douglas Gardner, an exceptional member of the Gardiner’s Volunteer Community whose charm, wit, and encyclopedic historical facts are fondly remembered by fellow volunteers and staff. Whether at the Front Desk or in the Galleries, Douglas’s warm and gregarious personality touched the lives of thousands of visitors over an impressive 22 years of service.

Recipients of the Douglas G. Gardner Award have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the Gardiner Museum and an aptitude for sharing their enthusiasm for the Gardiner’s collections. They have developed meaningful relationships with visitors, fellow volunteers, and staff, and have created engaging experiences for the public. 

Recipients:

Adele Shamie, 2020
Bette Ounjian, 2021
Ruth Wolff, 2022
Be Klasky, 2023
Anne Tawadros, 2024
Joanne Ritchie, 2025