Join Our Team
Volunteers are a vital part of everything we do at Bellevue Arts Museum. From providing administrative assistance and great customer service to helping ensure that BAM Arts Fair runs as smoothly as possible, BAM volunteers provide important support to all aspects of the Museum’s daily work. If you’re passionate about art, enjoy interacting with the public, and would like to connect with the larger arts community, we’d love to have you on our team.
We currently offer volunteer opportunities to fit a range of schedules. If you are able to commit to a weekly or bi-weekly schedule, BAM has ongoing opportunities for you to pitch in. We also offer one-day opportunities for folks who can volunteer for at least one shift per year. Teens and adults are welcome. Please see below for information on how to apply.
More ways to get involved
Volunteer at BAM Arts Fair
Join the Teen Arts Council
Current Job & Internship Openings
Volunteer Opportunities
Annual Special Event Volunteer Opportunities
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
For information on how to apply to our volunteer programs, please email Palaree Thongkwan, Education Coordinator & Manager of Volunteer Programs, at [email protected].
Interested in internships at BAM?
Check out our current internship openings »
Current Volunteers
Volgistics
Volgistics is our volunteer management system. VicNet is its web-based module where you can update your contact information, check your schedule, sign up for shifts, and view your service record.
Volunteer Links
VicNet
Volunteer Handbook
Intern Handbook
Questions? please email Palaree Thongkwan, Education Coordinator & Manager of Volunteer Programs, at [email protected].
Become a Docent
Share Your Passion for Art, Craft, & Design—Become a Museum Docent!
What is a docent?
A docent is a trained, volunteer museum guide and an essential link between the public and the Museum. Docents strive to effectively engage visitors of all ages in stimulating conversations about BAM's exhibitions and the Museum's mission. Docents give tours, perform gallery duty, and assist in educational programs. Articulate, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable docents are part of the BAM family and important ambassadors inside and outside of the Museum's walls.
How can I become a docent?
Applications for our 2024-2025 class are live. RSVP for our Introductory Reception and Museum Tour for Prospective Docents event on May 18 | 3-5pm.
For more information, please contact Carl Gellert, Director of Education at [email protected].
Prospective Docent Info Sessions
Please join us for an in-person or virtual information session about becoming a BAM Docent.
- June 7 | 12-1pm (In-Person)
- June 8 | 4-5pm (In-Person)
- June 9 | 7-8pm (Virtual via Zoom): Zoom link will be sent separately via email once you are registered.
Docent benefits
- Connections with others who share an interest in art
- An opportunity to meet and interact with visitors from around the world
- An introduction or continuing education in art, craft, and design
- Exhibition walkthrough with artists, curators, and scholars
- Free access to lectures about the current exhibitions
- Art tours to local artists' studios and collectors' homes
- Participation in book and movie clubs
Bellevue Arts Museum and its docents are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment in the Museum. While we value previous experience with art, craft, and design, it is not a prerequisite for the provisional docent training program. We seek applicants who are passionate about building community, committed to lifelong learning, and offer diverse skills and perspectives.
Pamela Zytnicki, Class of 2020
In my professional life, I worked for a company specializing in art publications. Having taken time off to raise my daughter, I had been thinking about how to reconnect with art. My travels had introduced me to docent tours as a wonderful way to engage my family –particularly my young daughter – with museums, and this inspired me to become a docent at BAM. The opportunity to learn about each exhibition in depth, then share my knowledge by engaging with visitors, has been very rewarding. I also enjoy the “art travel” field trips that give docents access to artists, studios, galleries, exhibitions and other behind-the-scenes art experiences around the area.
Eymah Nuzhat, Class of 2019
When I arrived in the Puget Sound Area with my degree in Fine Arts, I struggled with culture and environmental shock. Everyone around me was involved in the tech industry and I wanted to find something that related to my area of expertise. I came across the BAM website and went to the Docent information page. Luckily, they were accepting applications! Since becoming a Docent I have found new confidence explaining the exhibitions to our visitors. The Docent body is warm, welcoming and enthusiastic about the Museum and they are always willing to share their knowledge with fellow Docents and newcomers alike.
Leanne Berkenwald, Class of 2013
As a retired art specialist in the Bellevue School District I knew that I wanted to remain connected to the art world, but from a different perspective than teaching to elementary students. Being involved with BAM as a docent is a wonderful way to share my years of experience, continue to learn and stay involved in the arts. Not only do I have gallery duty and lead tours, but my favorite perk is the field trips. We get to visit galleries, artist studios, and homes of art collectors and dealers. The exposure to art, artists, and our docent community of art lovers gives me much pleasure at this stage in my life.
Maria Taipale, Class of 1999
Becoming a docent changed my life! The exposure to contemporary art, the never ending learning process, and the interaction with the public are an enrichment! The possibilities of meeting artists and visiting studios and private collections are numerous and so rewarding! It is very special for me that BAM offers tours in various world languages, which are given by native speaking docents, and I enjoy being on that team!
Lisa Chen, Class of 2018
The first time I walked into the Bellevue Arts Museum, I joined a docent-led tour to visit a cut paper exhibition. The artworks were incredible, but I was most impressed by the docent who presented viewing perspectives and information with great enthusiasm. Wanting to become more involved in the art world, I became a docent. Now I have the privilege of receiving firsthand knowledge from exhibition curators and artists and sharing it with visitors. The docent group has been welcoming, friendly, and warm; they share my love of art and are as excited as I am to be BAM docents. I feel blessed to be part of the docent group and I believe anyone who enjoys art, craft and design will also cherish being a BAM docent.
Vannetta Cash, Class of 2016
I didn’t grow up loving art. But once I came around, becoming a BAM docent was just the right thing for me. Each exhibit expands my world. The training boosted my confidence and helped me overcome a speech problem. And working with teen docents has taught me how to communicate with young people. Now I love gallery duty and talking with a variety of guests. I hope more brown/black and persons of color come to BAM as guests and are encouraged, as I was, to become docents.
Be a Teen Docent! (Students Ages 14 – 18)
BAM's award-winning Teen Docent program will start again in early 2022. For the 2021–22 school year, we are limiting the class to 15 teens; participants will be required to wear masks at all times while they're in the Museum. Recruitment for the program is currently closed. Please sign up for our Youth and Family Programs email to stay up to date with our Teen Docent schedule.
