Volunteer

The African American Museum in Philadelphia welcomes volunteers in a wide variety of areas. To volunteer, please call (215) 574-0380.

The museum is currently recruiting volunteer Gallery Monitors!

What is a Gallery Monitor?

A Gallery Monitor is a volunteer who helps to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibits in the museum galleries. Working closely with the Education, Exhibits, Visitor Services and Security Staff, volunteer Gallery Monitors are empowered to share core information about current exhibits and the institution while maintaining a positive and friendly presence in an assigned exhibit area.

Gallery Monitors will receive training and ongoing support and will be part of a larger team of museum staff and volunteers at all times. Gallery Monitors will sign up for and work during pre-determined shifts. Both weekend and weekday assistance is necessary, with the possibility of occasional evening requests.

How Do I Sign Up?

There will be two Gallery Monitor Trainings: Saturday, March 2 from 2 – 4pm OR Wednesday, March 6, from 5:30 – 7:30pm. A new training has been added: Saturday, March 9, from 3 - 5pm.

You only need to attend one training.

If you are interested, please contact Adrienne Whaley at awhaley@aampmuseum.org or 215-574-0380 x. 243.

Become a Docent: Educating through Service

Docents (museum tour guides) are the faces of the museum for groups that visit each day. Our docents complete a rigorous training program that grounds them in the historical and artistic information contained in our galleries. They serve as educators and ambassadors, working to ensure that the AAMP experience is fulfilling and enjoyable. Without our docents, our institution would not flourish.

The docent training program teaches trainees to:

• Combine the power of history with the art of storytelling to translate the heritage and culture of people of African descent in a relevant and engaging manner with dignity and respect.
• Promote what the museum stands for as a cultural institution and what it offers through its collections, exhibitions and programming.
• Trigger the imagination of the visitor, helping them to make new connections between past and present, familiar and unfamiliar.

We encourage you to join our team of volunteer educators. We are always looking for motivated people who are passionate about history and culture of the African Diaspora.