Volunteers

MAC Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers at the Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) serve a vital and important service to our region’s cultural community and are an indispensible and integral component of the museum’s support staff. Volunteering at our museum is a unique opportunity for people of all ages to challenge themselves in a fun and interesting way as well as obtain a better understanding of how museum’s function holistically.

Museum volunteers support our mission as education docents, historic house museum interpreters, at the information desk as greeters, in the museum’s store, or in behind-the-scenes capacities in our archives/library, collection's and history departments, and administrative assistance support roles. The museum also offers challenging internships periodically for qualified and interested students.

Volunteers help form the public face of the museum and as such all volunteers receive thorough necessary training, clear policies of participation and conduct, and strong institutional personal advocacy and support. A background in the visual arts, regional history, American Indian or other cultures, historic house interpretation, research, tours guiding, museum studies, administrative support or public speaking is helpful, but not required.

Volunteers assist primarily on weekdays and Saturday daytime hours; though many volunteers also assist with the museum’s periodic special events and family oriented programs and activities. The benefits of volunteering for the Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture include:

• Meeting museum visitors from the Spokane region, the State, the United States, and throughout the world
• Working with other volunteers and museum staff and sharing likeminded interests
• Participating in ongoing educational and other learning opportunities
• Attending the museum’s festive annual spring volunteer appreciation day event featuring catered food, live music and champagne
• Receiving free admission to the museum’s exhibition galleries and most of its public programs
• Receiving holiday season discounts to the museum store
• Free parking in the museum’s three-tiered parking structure

 

To volunteer requires:

• A personal interview to discuss volunteer options, determine personal interests, goals and time availability, and an agreement to a criminal background check
• A minimum commitment of volunteering time, based on area(s) of interested participation
• Mandatory attendance at all required training sessions
• Agreement to provide advanced notification when you are unable to assist for a previously scheduled volunteer assignment

 

Please contact David Brum, by telephone at (509)363-5324 or e-mail at davidb@northwestmuseum.org for additional information, to setup an interview time, or to receive an application.