Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is looking for volunteers to complete their 15-week guide-training program. 

The training program will start on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and ends on Jan. 22, 2025, with Holiday breaks at the end of November and two weeks in December. Training classes will be on Wednesday from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m each week.

The museum’s guides, or “docents”, will be expected to work two 3-hour shifts each month once training is complete. 

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West uses their volunteer guides to enhance the museum experience for visitors and to “help the museum tell the diverse and rich stories of the American West," according to a news release. 

The museum encourages individuals who are passionate about Western history, education, and art to volunteer either as a docent after completion of the training program or in another role in the museum like welcoming visitors, or aiding special events at the museum. 

“Whether supporting behind the scenes or directly engaging with guests, volunteers are crucial to the museum’s mission,” the release said. 

The museum has many exhibits showcasing both the historical and modern art and culture of the Western United States. 

“Western Spirit showcases rotating exhibitions featuring Western artworks, rare historical objects, and cultural treasures from some of the world’s foremost collectors and institutions,” according to release. 

The museum features a multitude of rotating and permanent exhibits with the most recent addition being Rob Hammer’s: American Backcourts, a photography collection showcasing makeshift basketball courts all throughout the Western United States.

Western Spirit features regularly changing exhibits of Western and Native American art and artifacts, entertaining events, and informative programs that bring the West’s heritage, culture, and community to life.

Western Spirit opened in January 2015 and became a Smithsonian Affiliate only a few months later; since then, the museum has been “Best of” in multiple categories and named No. 1 Western Museum in the United States by True West magazine. 

For more information visit https://westernspirit.org/