Photo: Joshua FranzosOne of the most surprising discoveries I made when I joined Carnegie Museums five years ago was the extraordinary and, in fact, indispensable role that volunteers play in the daily operations of our museums.
In 2024 alone, 1,000 volunteers collectively devoted no fewer than 60,000 hours of service across our organization.
Our volunteers range in age (currently) from 14 to 92 and hail from more than 30 countries. Some conduct their own scientific research or prepare specimens for the use of other scientists. Others educate young people, organize summer camps, and welcome and engage our visitors. Working side by side with museum staff, volunteers help install exhibitions, manage physical and digital archives, and preserve and catalogue works of art.
Among the many ways our volunteers contribute to everything we do, a salient example is Carnegie Museum of Art’s docent program, which you’ll read about in this issue. Ever since the opening of the museum’s Scaife wing 51 years ago, these exceptionally dedicated volunteers have greatly enriched the experiences of countless museum visitors. We estimate that docents have devoted nearly a million volunteer hours to engaging people of all ages and interests on the gallery tours they lead.
At a time when many art museums have eliminated their docent programs, Carnegie Museum of Art’s docent program continues to flourish, with 60 members last year and a current class of 20 docents-in-training. Members of this all-volunteer cadre spend a year in training and additional time being mentored by other docents before they advance to touring with groups on their own. Once a docent, they attend weekly professional learning sessions from September through June to stay current with the museum’s ever-evolving exhibitions.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to do so, I encourage you to consider taking a docent-led tour so that you can experience firsthand the irreplaceable value that these and all our volunteers bring to your museums.
With best regards,
Steven Knapp
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carnegie Museums
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