Volunteer Opportunities

 

After checking out the volunteer opportunies below, share your interest with us by downloading the fillable PDF at the bottom of the page. Email your completed form to MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov - It's that easy.

 

Regular Volunteer Needs

 

Education:

The Living Traditions Educational Program provides the opportunity for volunteers and docents to assist in the school tour program through preparation of curriculum and materials as well as hands-on activities during tours. Docents are trained to guide students through the museum exhibits, providing unique tours to the youth visitors. Docents and volunteers also work with students in the classroom and outdoors doing hands-on activities, as well as special educational yearly events such as Sun Mountain Gathering and Winter Feast. Volunteers are needed Tuesday through Fridays and occasionally weekends.

Complete the simple form at the bottom of this page for quickest response to your volunteer interest. If you have questions not addressed here, contact the Director of Education at 505-476-1272.

 

Museum Gift Shop:

The Colleen Cloney Duncan Museum Shop's selections reflects the collections of the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and is a truly unique shopping experience. The shop provides visitors with a wide array of contemporary Native arts — ceramics, sculpture, textiles, jewelry, kachina dolls, prints, and baskets — as well as clothing and an extensive selection of popular and scholarly books on Native cultures, boxed cards, etc.  Volunteers are needed to help with retail sales and general shop needs, especially on weekends.

Complete the simple form at the bottom of this page for quickest response to your volunteer interest. If you have questions not addressed here, contact the Museum Gift Shop at 505-982-5057 or miacshop@swcp.com.

 

Laboratory of Anthropology Library:

The Laboratory of Anthropology maintains an extensive research Library and Archives. The museum has a 25,000 volume non-circulating special research library, computer catalogued and available to the public and researchers in the library or on-line via OCLC. The library specializes in the southwestern American Indian cultures from earliest times to the contemporary. We are looking for people willing to shelve books (knowledge of Dewey Decimal system necessary) as well as repair books and periodicals, check-in journals, indexing projects and assist patrons. We also need volunteers to help organize and run the annual Book Sale Fundraiser held annually. Tasks include sorting donations and pricing books, cash handling, supervising booksale areas. Special projects may include placing leftover donated items on Ebay or other online listing (Amazon.com or Abebooks, etc.), book weeding projects, or updating/cleaning up catalog database.

Volunteer hours are available from 8:30 am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday, except during the booksale weekend when we need volunteers Saturday and Sunday.

Donation questions are best addressed by calling Librarian Allison Colborne at 505-476-1264 or allison.colborne@state.nm.us.

Complete the simple form at the bottom of this page for quickest response to your volunteer interest. If you have questions not addressed here - or are specifically interested in making a donation - contact Librarian Allison Colborne at 505-476-1264 or allison.colborne@state.nm.us.

 

General Office Assistance:

From time to time, MIAC needs help with photocopying, collating, data entry, filing, assembling packets/binders, member mailings, etc. Complete the simple form at the bottom of this page if you wouldn't mind being asked for help with short notice.

 

MIAC Native Gardens and the Avanyu Trail:

Working outdoors with replicas of Historic and Prehistoric structures and native plants.

Complete the simple form at the bottom of this page for quickest response to your volunteer interest. If you have questions not addressed here, contact the Director of Education at 505-476-1272.

 

Docent Training Program:

Docents are an essential and sustaining part of the Museum, and indeed serve as the public face of the Museum for our visitors from around the state and around the world. We rely on our docents to give daily guided tours, to help with our hands-on classroom activities and outreach visits, and to participate in our fundraising and special events for the public, as available.

Docent training classes are arranged by the docent coordinator, other knowledgeable museum staff, guest artists and speakers, tribal representatives, with panel discussions, and studio tours as well as other fieldtrips. Following successful training as a docent, we ask that you be able to commit a minimum of two years as a docent.

 

Trainings

 

Archival Assistant: Perfect for a lover of Southwestern and New Mexico History, the archival assistant will work with the archivist to process and tag archival material with ID numbers for later use. Special projects within the archives are available. Seeking well organized and curious individuals. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training: On-the-job
  • Time Commitment: 4-8 hrs/week; flexible schedule and no weekends

Exhibitions Assistant: Always wanted to know what it takes to put on a museum exhibition? Help copy-edit text, do research, and assist in other exhibition needs. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training: On-the-job
  • Time Commitment: Variable, dependent on exhibition schedule

K12 Docent and Lesson Leader:Teach children from all over the country about the Indigenous Peoples of the Southwest! K12 Docents will lead hour-long tours in our core exhibition, Here, Now and Always, and rotating exhibitions, focusing on requested themes. Experience with children is a plus. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training: Sessions scheduled monthly in advance
  • Time Commitment: Four 2-hour visits a year; irregular but scheduled in advance

Museum Docent:Lead groups on tours of the Museum and Laboratory of Anthropology for adults around the country and world! Develop themed tours for the needs of different audiences. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training: Sessions scheduled monthly in advance
  • Time Commitment: Two-three 30-60-minute tours/month; irregular but scheduled in advance

Library Assistant: For the well-organized individual, assist the LOA librarian in shelving collections, including rare and oversized books. Tasks also include keeping items in sequence order, creating identification labels for periodicals, and processing received materials. Computer proficiency required. Previous library and database experience is a plus. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training: On-the-job
  • Time Commitment: 4-8 hrs/week and no weekends

Special Events: Assist with the many exciting special events at the museum. Varies from indoor to outdoor events, preparing materials, or leading activities. Please contact MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov.

  • Training and Time Commitment: variable

Is there something you are interested in and want to learn more about in the museum field? There are many special projects available! Please specify in your volunteer submission form what you would like to know!

 

Download the Volunteer Fillable PDF Form - Email your completed form to MIAC.Education@dca.nm.gov