Orange County Museum of Art

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Docent Recruitment | Adopt-A-Class | Support Groups | Internships | Volunteers

Do you love art, love learning, and love sharing what you have learned with others? Becoming a volunteer museum docent is a great opportunity to get involved in the community.

OCMA docents make contemporary art meaningful and accessible to student and adult groups through interactive tours.

Applications are now being accepted for the upcoming 2010 recruitment session.

Click here for an application for the Docent Council.

Click here to find out more information about the Docent Council.

For more information, please contact the Education Department.

OCMA announces the Adopt-A-Class initiative to help fund its School and Tour Programs, the only major museum education programs in Orange County that are completely free of charge to students, teachers and schools. During class visits to OCMA, students make eye-opening and curriculum-enhancing connections with modern and contemporary art.

Adopt-A-Class gifts of any amount are greatly appreciated. Supporters may sponsor a student ($25), a class ($800) or an entire grade ($3,200) to participate in free programs such as:

� Exhibition Tours
� Hands-on studio art projects
� In-class lesson materials
� Pre-visit and Gallery activities
� Professional Development for Teachers

The museum remains committed to serving students from all socio-economic backgrounds � providing them with a visual arts education that makes a difference, developing students� skills in creativity, critical thinking, and communication.

To find out why visits to OCMA are students' favorite field trips every year, click here and read a recent Daily Pilot article.

For more information or to adopt a class, call (949) 759-1122 ext. 213 or email ksweetland@ocma.net

The Museum Council
As the Museum�s longest-standing support group, the purpose of the Museum Council is to raise funds for and promote interest in the Orange County Museum of Art. In fulfilling its purpose, members participate in fundraising activities such as the popular Art & Architecture Tour. Throughout the year Council members enjoy several field trips to Southern California Museums, galleries, and private collections. Past trips have included the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Huntington Library. Social luncheons, art lectures, and docent-guided exhibition tours are also a benefit of membership.

For details, contact the Membership Department at (949) 759-1122 ext 213.

Visionaries
Visionaries, a women's support group, was founded in 1989 to raise funds for a new home for the Orange County Museum of Art. After it opened in its current location in 1996, Visionaries changed its focus to support the museum�s education programs.

In addition to fulfilling its purpose of supporting the educational activities of OCMA, Visionaries provides many interesting and educational activities for its members including tours and trips locally throughout the year to exhibitions, galleries, artists� studios and collectors� homes. In addition, Visionaries take an exciting, short trip to a national or same continent destination annually accompanied by OCMA�s director.

OCMA Visionaries Site

Docent Council
The purpose of the Camille and Eric Durand Docent Council of the Orange County Museum of Art is to support the Education Department by conducting tours of the exhibitions and providing quality education for Museum visitors. As representatives of OCMA, the Docent Council presents insightful tours that engage audiences by guided looking and discovery. The successful docent is informed, prepared, enthusiastic, presents a positive public image and is able to communicate with a wide range of audiences.

For more information about the Docent Council, or to inquire about membership, please contact Jenni Stenson at jstenson@ocma.net.

The Orange County Museum of Art offers volunteer internship opportunities in all departments and welcomes applications from qualified undergraduate and graduate students. Every department provides support to various aspects of planning and implementing the museum's dynamic schedule of exhibitions. Although interns are generally under the supervision of a specific department, they have the opportunity to actively observe and participate in other areas of museum operations.

The Museum staff is happy to work with students and their advisers in cooperation with internship and independent study programs at their colleges. Curatorial, Education, and Registrar applicants should have completed course work in art history, studio art, or museum studies. All applicants will be asked to call upon their general clerical skills and organizational ability.

Intern applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year until positions are filled. Applications should be received 2 months prior to the preferred start date of the internship. To apply for an internship at the Orange County Museum of Art, submit a completed application, current transcript, resume, letter of recommendation, and an academic writing sample. All requested materials must be collected in a single envelope and mailed to the Internship Coordinator. For more information, please review our Intern Application.

INTERN APPLICATION

OPPORTUNITIES MAY BE AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS:

Curatorial:
Interns in the Curatorial Department work with the chief curator, curator of contemporary art, curator of collections, and curatorial assistant. Duties may include conducting research on objects in the museum's permanent collection or upcoming exhibitions, assisting with exhibitions and catalogs, maintaining artist files and records, and handling artist correspondence.
NOTE: The Curatorial Department is not accepting internship applications at this time. For more information on Curatorial internships, please contact the Curatorial Department.

Development:
Interns in the Development Department work with the Director of Development and department managers responsible for membership, special events, and grants. All aspects of fundraising are addressed during the internship, including individual giving, corporate sponsorships, database management, and direct mail. For more information on Development internships, please contact the Development Department.

Education:
Interns in the Education Department work with the School and Tour Program Manager, the Manager of Interpretive Programs and Education Media, and the Education and Public Programs Assistant. Education interns give public tours of the Museum�s special exhibitions. They play an integral role in the marketing, research, preparation and implementation of educational programs for school, youth, family, and adult audiences. For more information on Education internships, please contact the Education Department.

Finance:
Interns in the Finance Department work with the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Accountant. Responsibilities may include assisting with reports presented to the Museum's Board of Trustees and learning nonprofit billing and accounts payable procedures. For more information on Finance internships, please contact the Finance Department.

Communications:
Interns in the Communications Department work with the Director of Marketing and the Advertising & Promotions Manager. Responsibilities may include assisting with publicity and advertising materials for exhibitions, education programs, and other Museum events; archiving media coverage; and producing the Museum calendar. For more information on Communications internships, please contact the Communications Department. Include a cover letter, resume, and weekly availability with your request.

Registrar:
Interns in the Registrar's Office work with the Registrar and may assist with art object and archival record keeping, assessing the condition of artworks, conducting research on the permanent collection, and processing data. This department works most closely with actual art objects. For more information on Registrar internships, please contact the Registrar's Office.

Visitor Services:
Interns and volunteers in the Visitor Services Department work with the Museum Store Director. Responsibilities may include marketing projects related to the Museum Store, site rental program, private donor events, and web site. For more information on Visitor Service internships, please contact the Admissions Desk.

Museum Stores:
Interns and volunteers work with the Museum Store Director in various aspects of retail, assisting with merchandising, and interfacing with the public. For more information on Museum Store internships, please contact the Museum Store.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Orange County Museum of Art!

OCMA welcomes and greatly appreciates the help of enthusiastic volunteers for assistance on project-oriented tasks. The museum keeps a roster of volunteers whom we contact when projects arise that could benefit from your help. Please know that at this time we are unable to offer those seeking to volunteer on a regular basis a fixed schedule. Rather, a representative from the department you are interested in assisting will contact you on an as-needed basis.

If you would like to added to our volunteer pool, please fill out the application and mail it to 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660, Attn: Volunteer Coordinator, or fax it to 949.759.5623. You will be contacted within three weeks to confirm the receipt of your application.

For more information, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at (949) 759-1122 ext. 200.

CURATORIAL
The Curatorial Department focuses on all aspects of exhibition planning, coordinating, and execution. Tasks may include:

Assisting with mailing exhibition related correspondence.

Assisting with catalogue exchanges and distribution.

DEVELOPMENT
The Development Department focuses its effort on all aspects of fundraising for the museum. Tasks may include:

Help sort through returned mail

Update the donor database

Make calls to obtain donor information

Assist with major mailings and/or filing

Coordinate guest check-in at Member Openings

EDUCATION
Opportunities for volunteering in the Education Department focus primarily around school tours and community events. Tasks may include:

Assembling pre-visit folders for school tours

Assisting with Family Arts Days

Assisting with filing/mailing

Distributing flyers for upcoming events