Our Museum has many great volunteers who help us all year long. To honor Volunteer Recognition Day today, we spoke with a few of our volunteers, and introduced these dedicated individuals on our Instagram and Facebook @AtownArtMuseum. Keep reading to hear what they had to share!
Georgette
Georgette
AAM: “What drives you to volunteer here at the Allentown Art Museum, and what do you enjoy most?”
Georgette: “I want to lend my support to a museum that not only has a first-class art collection but one that offers educational opportunities to both adults and children. It has been my pleasure to work with a friendly staff and a group of supportive volunteers.”
AAM: “What is a memorable experience that you had while volunteering?”
Georgette: “Visitors often want to share their excitement and impressions after viewing an exhibit. It is always interesting to interact with them. I recently had a conversation about Faith Ringgold who had been a guest lecturer many years ago. Faith’s art documents the African American experience and is shown around the world.”
AAM: “Is there a store item you would like to recommend to our followers and visitors?”
Georgette: “We have beautiful merchandise reflective of our collection. My recommendation relates to my interest in furthering the art education of the young. Therefore, my choice relates to children’s books, art supplies and toys.”
Stop by and say hello to Georgette in the Museum Store on your next visit!
Dee & Donna
Dee & Donna
AAM: What drives you to volunteer here at the Allentown Art Museum, and what do you enjoy most?
Donna: “I love sharing with everyone I meet what a special experience the Allentown Art Museum has to offer. As a docent, I enjoy sharing the wonders of AAM’s fabulous collection and all the fun tidbits about the art.”
Dee: “The people are what drives me the most, my fellow docents as well as the public I share my love of art with. My fellow docents appreciate and have a great interest in art, whether it be a new exhibit or one of the many permanent collection pieces the Museum has. I like sharing the things I’ve learned on the new rotating exhibits or from my past as an art major in college. The staff at the Museum are also amazing.”
AAM: “Could you share a memorable experience that you may have had while volunteering?”
Donna: “I had a visitor from Italy ask about the ‘Game Stall’ in Kress. Between us we had an interesting conversation, mine in elementary-school French and his in Italian. Thank goodness many of the words are similar!”
Dee: “I like to give tours of the new exhibits, and a few years back we had one that was a traveling show of Latin American Art from the Smithsonian. It started downstairs with a Christina Fernandez piece called ‘Maria’s Great Expedition’ about her grandmother’s trip to immigrate to the US. I would start my tour telling people how my father immigrated to the US at 9 1/2 by himself on a boat, then ask people to relate their families’ voyage if they knew of them. So many people often wanted to tell their ancestors struggle to come to the US. It was very moving and enlightening.”
AAM: “Would you like to recommend an artwork that is on view, and/or an artwork that will be on view soon for our followers and visitors?”
Donna: “The Bertoia sculptures are always one of my favorites! The story of Harry Bertoia’s life and his journey to making his sounding sculptures is a wonderful story about a creative soul!”
Dee: “I like the Franz Kline [mural]. It’s nice to relate to people, as he is from Pennsylvania originally before joining the art scene in New York. Most people have a harder time understanding modern art, and so with having his early work it’s easier to explain how he transitioned to the briefest lines of abstract expressionism. Museumgoers tend to love the colors of his early pieces.”
Look out for Donna and Dee leading a tour on your next visit!
Carol Shiner Wilson
Carol Shiner Wilson with volunteers from Muhlenberg College
Carol Shiner Wilson is a member of the Society of the Arts (SOTA) and chairs the Development Assistants Committee of Volunteers. She is also the Dean of the College for Academic Life, Emerita, at Muhlenberg College, and continues to encourage students there to volunteer at the Museum. Ginny and Sophia are both students at Muhlenberg who volunteered their help at the Museum’s 2022 Gala Dinner and Auction.
AAM: “What drives you to volunteer at the Museum, and what do you enjoy most?”
Carol: “As a member of SOTA, I enjoy doing an incredible variety of volunteer work to support the Allentown Art Museum. One day, as a docent, I might be welcoming visitors for a tour of the collection or a special exhibition. Another day I might be contacting donors who support the Museum. Yet another day I might be stuffing envelopes with AAM membership renewal letters. Regardless of the specific activity, I volunteer to support the Museum’s commitment to how meaningful the arts can be to everybody in our community, regardless of age or background.”
Ginny: “I love the arts, and supporting local artists is something I find really important. Allentown Art Museum has a lot of kind people working there who aim for this goal, and share it with the community, so I help in any way I can.”
AAM: “Could you share a memorable experience from an event you volunteered at?”
Carol: “The sense of discovery, wonder, and connection our guests feel. Visitors relating to the beautiful day in the Franz Kline mural, or the beauty of the portrait of Rigo Peralta’s grandmother. And sharing that wonder with others–their families and friends, fellow tour group members, Museum staff, and volunteers.”
Ginny: “The instant bonds I formed with some of the staff members. As I was volunteering at the Gala there were so many kind people helping out, and I loved hearing about their lives and working with them.”