Volunteer
Volunteering at the Cummer Museum supports arts and education in the community. Volunteers engage and inspire patrons while enriching their own lives. Through volunteer service, individuals gain valuable experience as well as receive free admission, a monthly email of the calendar of events, and exposure to Northeast Florida’s largest museum. The contribution of volunteers is essential to the health and vitality of the Museum.
Arts4All Volunteers
After consulting with schools and program providers, out of an abundance of caution and with consideration of the health and safety of the community, the Cummer has decided to postpone the annual four-day Arts4All Festival which was scheduled for April 28 through May 1, 2020. We do not come to this decision lightly, as we recognize that the Festival is an important and exciting opportunity for students with differing abilities, their teachers, and their chaperones to experience art and gardens at the Cummer through all of their senses.
For the remainder of this academic year, our Education team is working to adapt and provide artful digital experiences to share with schools, students, and families. We are developing alternative Arts4All opportunities, in collaboration with schools, program partners, and volunteers, that will engage teachers, students, and their families here at the Cummer Museum during the summer and into the fall. Please check back here for updates.
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The Arts4All Festival (formerly VSA Festival) takes place the first week in May and serves nearly 2,400 students, teachers, and guardians. To properly serve Festival participants, the Museum needs 1,200 volunteers to help staff Art Stops (hands-on activities throughout the Museum) and to guide groups of students through the galleries, gardens, studios, and Art Connections.
DOCENTS
The Docent Corps is an integral part of the Cummer Museum. Docents are dynamic, dedicated Museum volunteers with diverse backgrounds who lead tours of the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions for school groups, families, and adults. No previous teaching or art history experience is required as Docents attend monthly training sessions with Museum staff in order to learn about the various types of tours offered by the Museum, the history of the Cummer family, the permanent collection, and the gardens. Once training is completed, Docents make a weekly commitment of their time that makes the Museum’s tour programs possible. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Docent Corps, please contact Docent Relations at 904.899.6003 or Docents@cummermuseum.org.
At this time, accepting new applications for the current training year is over. Applications received will be held for the next training class starting in September. If you are interested, complete the application and Docent Relations will contact you at the end of summer to finish the application process.
JUNIOR DOCENTS
This program enables middle and high school students to learn about the permanent collection through research, hands-on exploration, and group interaction, allowing them to share their knowledge with visitors through discussion and demonstration. These bright young adults are some of the Museum's most important volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Junior Docent Corps, please call 904.899.6005 or contact Juniordocents@cummermuseum.org.
Sponsors: City of Jacksonville; Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Inc.; Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts, Inc.If you are interested in being a Junior Docent for the 2020-2021 participant year, please click the application button.