Volunteer Opportunities

Museum Volunteer

The Speed Art Museum is the largest Art Museum in Kentucky. We strive to improve our guests’ experience on every visit. We welcome individuals who seek to help us in our mission to provide Art for All. We seek volunteers to assist with interactions with guests. From greeting to assisting our staff with special exhibitions, events or programming, this volunteer position aims to enhance the guest experience. Join us in making a difference for the guests during their visit.

Duties

• Greeting guests and thanking them for their visit.
• Create a welcoming environment for our guests and engage them throughout their visit.
• Offering our amenities to guests.
• Assist guests during museum programming and Special Events such as After Hours, Speed Ball, Community Days, or artmaking.
• Assists guests during Special Exhibitions
• Assists guests with wayfinding.
• Assists guests by answering questions.

**A parking voucher for the Speed Museum garage is provided for each shift.**

Flexibility in available shifts

Qualifications / Competencies:

• Friendly demeanor and a willingness to actively engage with all guests.
• Speaking multiple languages is a plus.
• Responsible and dependable.
• Willingness to work as part of a team.
• Ability to move around the museum for the entire shift.
• All volunteers over 18 must undergo a background check before onboarding.
• Good verbal presence when greeting and directing guests.
• Flexible scheduling.
• A desire to honor time commitments.
• Empathy for our guests.
• A love of problem-solving.
• A love for the arts is encouraged.

*Access to reliable transportation is preferred. *

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Docents are trained volunteers and Speed Art Museum advocates who welcome Museum guests of all ages through experiences such as tours for students, families, and adults; interactions in the galleries; and programs that help visitors connect with artwork in the Speed’s galleries through an engaging dialogue.

• We seek docent applicants from all backgrounds and life experiences.
• Docents are trained volunteers and Speed Art Museum advocates who welcome Museum guests of all ages through experiences such as tours for students, families, and adults; interactions in the galleries; and programs that help visitors connect with artwork in the Speed’s galleries through an engaging dialogue.
• Participation in the Speed’s docent program is a rewarding and enriching experience.

Docent qualifications include

• Welcoming personality, docents relate well to guests of all ages.
• Excellent communication skills, docents encourage curiosity by creating fun, memorable engagement for students and guests.
• Strong interest in the visual arts, equity, and community.
• Willingness to invite everyone to celebrate art forever.
• Professional attitude toward fellow docents, staff, and museum guests.
• Prompt attendance at all training sessions, meetings, and tours.

 Time commitment

• Anyone accepted to the Speed’s Active Docent Corps will be expected to attend two museum training sessions per month from September 2024—May 2025.  Most training sessions will be in person with some virtual sessions, optional bonus sessions may be scheduled.

Benefits

• Free parking in the Museum garage. Docents can obtain a validation ticket from Security when they sign in for training or tours.
• After an Active Docent has given 5 tours, they will be rewarded with a free Speed membership.  The membership will be for an individual plus one guest.
• Docent social and museum events include special training from the Speed’s curatorial staff, and other educational opportunities such as visits to the University of Louisville, other museums, and artists’ studios.

Note: There is no financial obligation required or expected from docents.

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The Speed Cinema offers over 250 screenings focused on art house new releases, restorations, festivals, community partnerships, documentaries, family films, and international cinema at the Speed Art Museum. The Cinema provides seating for up to 142 people and is well-equipped with 16mm, 35mm and 4K digital projection systems.

Cinema Volunteers will assist Cinema guests by:

• Providing a warm welcome
• Distributing program notes for showings that provide background and critical writing, suggested viewing, and suggested reading to further the Speed Cinema’s educational mission.
• Helping guests with accessibility needs –
  • Volunteers will help us by operating a wheelchair lift.
  • Providing hearing or captioning devices for those who request it.

• Assist with providing a positive viewing experience by encouraging audience members to put away phones (there should only be one screen on view—the projection screen), discourage talking during the film, and distribute blankets to guests who may be chilled.
• Helping guests to find seating when we are sold out or near capacity.
• Occasionally assisting box office staff with ticket distribution and wayfinding for guests.
• If an emergency occurs, work with the Projectionist and Speed Security to clear the cinema and direct the audience to safety.

New volunteers will be trained in accordance with the above.

Competencies:

• Good verbal presence for greeting directing guests.
• Flexible scheduling.
• A desire to honor time commitments.
• Empathy for our guests.
• A love for cinema and art is encouraged.

Benefits:

• A parking voucher for the Speed Museum garage is provided for each shift.
• Volunteers get to see the Speed Cinema offerings for free during their shifts.
• Volunteers are also invited to Speed employee monthly screenings.
• Flexibility regarding scheduling.

Access to reliable transportation is preferred.

APPLY NOW