Explore the fine art of volunteering at the KIA.

Make new friends, exercise your talents, and share your gifts with the community when you volunteer at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Become a Volunteer

Your interests and skills can be valuable to the KIA in a number of areas:

  • Advancement: Lend a hand with member outreach, campaigns, and fundraising events.
  • Programs and Events: The KIA hosts a variety of programs and this is our primary and ongoing volunteer need. Tasks are varied from welcoming guests, helping visitors complete art projects, to wayfinding.
  • Docents: Docents are trained guides who facilitate interactive and engaging museum tours for diverse audiences. A background in education, history, or the arts is not required because a training course is provided for all candidate docents.

Become a Docent

Docents are trained guides who facilitate interactive and engaging museum tours for diverse audiences, including children, teens, and adults. A successful candidate docent should possess a strong interest in art and art history, along with communication and public speaking skills. However, a background in education, history, or the arts is not required. A willingness to learn through docent training classes, reliability, enthusiasm for education, and the ability to work collaboratively are necessary.