Volunteer Opportunities

If you love art, enjoy working with people, or both, this is the perfect opportunity to become involved in one of the Five College Area’s finest cultural attractions.  As a volunteer, you will be an invaluable member of the Museum and part of a select and dedicated group of individuals who will represent the institution to the greater community.

Docent Volunteers

An active corps of volunteer docents is important to the Museum's efforts to serve its diverse constituencies. In addition to providing tours of the Museum's permanent collection and special exhibitions to adult groups, these volunteers also offer educational programs to schools.

Our docents, who meet regularly on Tuesday mornings throughout the school year, possess a background in art history and an interest in working with visitors across the age spectrum to inform, educate, and stimulate interest in outstanding works of art.

For information contact Education Coordinator Jane Gronau at 413.538.2085.

Volunteer Oppotunities for students

Society of Art Goddesses

Members support the work of the Museum during the academic year by helping to plan student-centered events such as an art masquerade party, art career panels, and more. The Art Goddesses also organize daytrips to museums, galleries and artists’ studios, all the while cultivating campus appreciation and awareness of art and art museums. Membership is free to students, and includes complimentary museum newsletters and invitations to all events. Students from all majors are encouraged to join! For information contact Business and Events Manager Debbie Davis at 413.538.2096.

Education Program

Mount Holyoke students are invited to participate in the Art Museum's extremely successful youth education program, which is offered to area schools each spring semester.  Student volunteers are trained to present a participatory archaeology lesson in the classroom. This lesson has been developed to prepare elementary and middle-school students for a field trip touring the Museum’s ancient collection. New volunteers to the program generally begin in the fall semester with a series of trainings to prepare for delivering lessons in area schools in the spring. For information about the program, contact Education Coordinator Jane Gronau at 413.538.2085.  

Internships

What better way to learn about the museum field than to experience it up-close and behind–the–scene? The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum awards a variety of formal and informal internships for Mount Holyoke College students and non–students. Museum interns gain experience and knowledge within the museum environment and work on meaningful projects under the guidance of museum professionals. The Museum welcomes and encourages students from all backgrounds to apply and is dedicated to developing a culturally diverse internship program.

Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Internships for Mount Holyoke College Students

Project-based mentored internships, under the supervision of the Director, Curator, Collections Manager, and Museum Educator are offered each semester, during January term, and in the summer. Designed as a unique opportunity for Mount Holyoke College students, the Museum awards both part-time and full-time paid internships throughout the year. Students seeking part-time internships that run with the academic calendar, beginning each fall and continuing through the spring and summer semesters, should apply in writing to the Museum the semester before their anticipated start date. Students can also choose to apply for full-time paid summer or January term internships. Through this variety of opportunities, interns are exposed to a broad spectrum of museum activities, including cataloguing and researching works of art, assisting in the planning and installation of special exhibitions, reading and editing gallery texts and publication materials, and participating in program planning, publicity, and marketing.

Academic Internships for Non-MHC Students

For graduate and undergraduate students, the Museum awards both part-time and full-time, unpaid, internships throughout the year. Students are responsible for obtaining departmental and faculty approval for course credit in their major field.

Special Project Internships for volunteers

For non-MHC students, or MHC students who will not receive course credit, the Museum offers informal, unpaid internships. Special Project Internships require a minimum commitment of 2 hours a week and are available year round. These internships become available periodically according to the needs of the Museum. Applicants are also invited to propose their own projects for consideration, and if a proposed project meets the Museum’s objectives, an internship will be created for that individual.

For more information about internship opportunities, application materials, and deadlines, please contact Business and Events Manager Debbie Davis at 413.538.2096.