Release Date: January 10, 2007

National Gallery of Art Recruits Volunteers for Adult Program Docents

National Gallery of Art volunteer docent Barbra Mann talks to visitors in front of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Blindman’s Buff (probably c. 1765) and The Swing (probably c. 1765) in the Gallery’s collection of French paintings.

Washington, DC — The National Gallery of Art department of adult programs is recruiting for docent volunteers to help visitors learn about and enjoy the Gallery’s collections and exhibitions through general introductory and occasional special-topic tours for adults. Docents may elect to participate in the weekday, weekend, or foreign language program. Applicants for the foreign language program should be able to give tours in French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Vietnamese, or Korean and must be able to converse with the fluency of a native speaker.

Adult program docent volunteers are members of the education division. Candidates need to hold a college degree or have equivalent experience through work or study or possess other unusual qualifying attributes. They also must have experience working with the public, meet the program’s training and service requirements, demonstrate a commitment to the arts, and be prepared to devote 15 to 20 hours each week in class and/or researching and preparing for tours. A minimum three-year service commitment is required.

Volunteering at the National Gallery of Art offers personal rewards such as art appreciation enhancement, an opportunity to serve the public, and collegial exchanges with fellow volunteers and professional staff. The Gallery provides orientation and training through lectures, gallery sessions, and tour observations.

National Gallery of Art volunteer application forms are available on the Gallery’s Web site at www.nga.gov/education/volunteer.htm and will be accepted through March 23, 2007. To apply, complete and submit the online application before the deadline. Adults from all backgrounds and ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

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