Volunteer
Become a Western Spirit Museum Docent
Along with providing visitor tours, docents present outreach programs, give talks, and lead interactive school tour activities! To become a docent at Western Spirit, invest in learning by building your expertise and knowledge about American western history and art. Learn as much as you can about your Western Spirit’s collections and increase your knowledge about the exhibition, the artists, the collectors, and the curators.
Attending a planned public tour can give you an opportunity to speak to a docent about the job. It’s also possible to request a shadowing opportunity so that you can see how docents interact with tour groups and explore their daily routines.
Sign Up for 2025-2026 Docent Training Classes!
The docent training class requires three hours of class time, once a week on Wednesdays, and an additional three hours of research and development time outside of class each week.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 – Wednesday, January 21, 2026 (additional three weeks for practice tours)
(No classes on Wednesday, November 26, December 24, and December 31)
Interested in becoming a museum docent? Contact the museum Director of Education, Wade Weber, by email at wweber@westernspirit.org or by phone at 480-530-3461.
While my wife and I have owned our home here in Scottsdale for 20 years, todays visit to the Museum was our first. We had little expectations of what to anticipate; but, by sheer luck, we met Laird Vernon in the lobby and accepted his offer to guide us through a couple of the featured exhibits. Two hours later we felt we had stumbled upon one of the treasures of Arizona. Laird’s depth of knowledge about the backgrounds of each piece we discussed was so helpful in understanding the artist’s motivations and objectives. Seeing the Museum through Laird’s eyes made the day memorable and compelling to return…