The Docent council is a group of dedicated volunteers in partnership with our Learning and Community Partnerships department.
The council facilitates creative and engaging experiences for:
- K-12 students
- Families
- Visitors of all ages
Docents engage in creative, dynamic conversations with learners of all ages, and help make art come alive for our visitors. They’re also a vital part of building connections between the Museum and our local community.
The Docent council’s mission is to:
- Create a welcoming community for learning about art
- Provide training to docents in museum learning, art and art history, and touring strategies
- Deliver high quality art experiences to people of all ages
We want you to leave the Museum feeling inspired and happy you came. A docent’s function is to “open the doors” for you to have an experience with art, and bring you to a personal sense of discovery — not to teach a lesson or deliver facts.
There are more than 175 docents, including docents-in-training, active docents, sustainer docents, and education affiliate docents.
Docent council membership
Level
Annual fee
Active (individual)
$50
How can I become a docent at the Portland Art Museum?
We’re not currently accepting applications for the Docent council. We usually open new classes and accept applications in early summer. We’ll keep this page updated with application information as it becomes available.
In addition to the Docent council, there are several other Art councils that welcome your involvement, especially if you have interest in a particular area of art.
For other volunteer positions (i.e. Guest Services, Rental Sales Gallery, etc.) please visit the Museum’s volunteer page.