Fairbanks Arts Association has provided Interior AK with quality arts programs since 1966, and we can’t do it without you! Volunteering with Fairbanks Arts is a great way to connect with the artistic community and to learn more about opportunities for artists and audiences in every discipline.
Volunteer at Fairbanks Arts
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or complete our general Volunteer interest form now.
Why volunteer?
There are many reasons to volunteer for your community arts organization from professional development opportunities to encouraging civic responsibility. Here are a few specific benefits:
- Increase the volunteerism section of your resume! Fairbanks Arts will provide letters/calls of reference for individuals who have completed at least 80 volunteer hours.
- Make connections in the arts community with Fairbanks Arts’ team, local artists, our guest readers, jurors, other volunteers, arts participants, and more. Volunteering with Fairbanks Arts is a great networking opportunity!
- Learn new skills or build on existing ones! Fairbanks Arts volunteers assist with a range of tasks across programs and events, from general administrative tasks, to making sales in the Bear Gallery and Gift Shop, to decorating at events, to sharing information about Fairbanks Arts to the public, and more!
- Take an active role in strengthening your community! When you volunteer with Fairbanks Arts, you actively participate in creating a stronger, healthier community in and through the arts. As a local arts council, Fairbanks Arts is able to offer a wide breadth of programs, services, and resources to artists, arts organizations, and arts participants with a modestly-sized team thanks to amazing community volunteers. Fairbanks Arts also heavily relies on community volunteer input to guide various activities of the organization.
Community Service:
Fairbanks Arts’ programs provide a unique opportunity to earn community service hours. To be considered for community service, please fill out our general Volunteer Interest Form and a Fairbanks Arts team member will be in contact with you.
Visual Arts in the Bear Gallery
Fairbanks Arts celebrates the opening of new art exhibitions in the Bear Gallery during a reception on the first Friday of every month. Several tasks occur to ensure exhibitions are ready for the public and facilitate First Fridays and the gallery’s open hours. You can click the section header above to return to the top of this page at any time.
Gallery Docents (Weekly 3-hour shifts OR fill-in shifts)
You can make a difference with 3 hours per week– no prior experience is required! Fairbanks Arts is able to maintain a free admission gallery thanks to the assistance of our volunteer docents!
Fairbanks Arts currently needs the following docent volunteers: Fill-in coverage (become trained as a docent and help cover when there are cancellations by regularly scheduled docents)
Docent responsibilities include:
- Making gift shop and exhibition sales;
- Maintaining a tidy, respectful, and congenial environment in the gallery;
Fairbanks Arts docents become familiar with Alaskan artwork and artists, learn how an art gallery is managed, and have time to practice their art, read, or study in a lovely atmosphere.
Hours: Docents typically volunteer for one shift per week, although different arrangements can be made based on availability. Shifts are Noon-3 pm and 3-6 pm, Monday-Saturday.
Exhibition Assistance
Exhibition installation and de-installation
Art exhibitions are open from the First Friday through the last Saturday of each month. Many hours of preparation support one exhibition seamlessly transitioning into the next in just a few days. Volunteers support this swift changeover by assisting with artwork installation and de-installation, painting pedestals, cutting and hanging labels, and lighting the gallery. Thanks to the collaboration between Fairbanks Arts staff and volunteers, the public can access beautiful Alaskan contemporary art without long waiting periods.
Special Exhibitions Assistance:
Fairbanks Arts hosts special exhibitions throughout the year, such as an annual student art show, a juried exhibition, an open entry show, and more. Volunteer assistance during a special exhibition may include some combination of:
- Assisting during a jury process (a guest artist who selects the exhibited works)
- Supporting artwork intake for group or juried shows
- Providing various support, as needed, depending on the exhibition’s needs
First Friday Reception Help:
The First Friday of each month marks the opening of a new exhibition at Fairbanks Arts and a special time for the community to gather at these social, celebratory events. Volunteer assistance is critical for making these events run smoothly. Volunteer support may include:
- Counting visitors
- Prepping food
- Event set up & clean up
- Docent responsibilities to help facilitate sales
Arts Education Programs
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Usher for School Performances:
Fairbanks Arts partners with local performing arts organizations to bring amazing musical and theatrical performances to students of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District over the course of the academic year (August-May).
These hour-long performances take place in local performance venues from 10:10am-11:10 a.m. Fairbanks Arts ushers and staff help students find their seats on performance days and support a safe environment for all attendees. Once everyone is seated, students and ushers alike get to enjoy these incredible performances. Volunteering as an usher is a great way to see some of the acts that come to town and help students learn how to be good audience members and community arts participants!
Become a district-registered volunteer
- Follow the link below to fill out a FNSBSD district volunteer form
- *This is REQUIRED for anyone volunteering with our Arts Education programs*
- Volunteer Application for Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Important information about ushering with Fairbanks Arts
- Ushers must arrive at Hering by 9:15 AM so they can participate in a short briefing with me. I’ll hand out seating plans, usher badges, and explain your roles. This will take place in the reception area just inside the theater main doors. If you think you won’t be able to be there by 9:15 AM, please respond to this email and let me know.
- School buses will start to arrive from 9:30 AM or later. All students and chaperones must be seated so performances can begin promptly at 10:10 AM. This is where your help as ushers is needed. I’ve also sent an email to schools asking them to remind their teachers/chaperones that they should help expedite the process.
- Outdoor clothing and personal items may be kept in the Hering Booking Office. This will be locked at the start of the performance. If you indicated that you need to leave as soon as the show starts make sure you retrieve your belongings before this happens.
- For student safety, all audience members must remain seated throughout the performance and students needing the restroom must be accompanied by a teacher or chaperone.
- The performance will end at 11:10 AM. Please help students remember to take all their belongings when leaving.
- Volunteer badges issued by Fairbanks Arts must be worn and visible at all times while you are engaged in Fairbanks Arts activities. Fairbanks Arts will provide these in various forms to enable you to wear them comfortably and/or without causing damage to your clothing i.e. as a necklace, a pin badge, or a clip-on badge.
- While we want you to be comfortable during your volunteer activities, Fairbanks Arts expects our volunteers to dress in a manner that promotes professionalism and projects a positive image of our organization, and the services we provide, while also ensuring volunteer safety.
- With these things in mind, Fairbanks Arts considers the following attire to be inappropriate:
- Spandex pants or tops
- Midriff tops or clothing that reveals the cleavage, midriff or buttocks
- Dresses, skirts, or shorts that end above mid-thigh
- Tube-tops, tank tops, or otherwise sleeveless shirts
- Ripped, torn, frayed, dirty jeans/clothing
- Exposed bras or underwear
- Sandals, flip-flops, slippers, high heels (it’s important to wear sensible footwear to ensure that you do not get an injury during your volunteer work for Fairbanks Arts. It’s very easy to sprain an ankle or drop things on your feet, so you should wear sturdy footwear)
- Any clothing portraying themes related to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex, violence, or politics.
- Volunteers arriving dressed inappropriately may not take part in activities unless suitable accommodations can be made.
- Volunteers are not permitted to smoke, drink, use drugs or carry any type of weapons in the Bear Gallery or while carrying out volunteer activities for Fairbanks Arts.
- Smoking is also prohibited by State Law at any time in the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts.
- Per Fairbanks North Star Borough policy, smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of all borough buildings.
- Fairbanks Arts wishes to present a face of professionalism to the community. We advise all volunteers to uphold this professionalism while on the job.
- Unprofessional Behavior includes, but is not limited to: disorderly conduct, falsifying records, harassment, theft or property damage, unauthorized use of organization resources, and mistreatment of Fairbanks Arts patrons, employees, or volunteers.
- Volunteers are to engage in gracious and edifying conversation and are to avoid swearing while representing Fairbanks Arts.
- Please inform a Fairbanks Arts employee with as much notice as possible in person or via email or phone if you will be late or absent for a volunteer commitment.
Up With Art Annual Student Exhibition
Art is key to a complete education and is a powerful vehicle for expression, exploration, and skill-building– Fairbanks Arts proudly presents the Up With Art student art exhibition in partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) annual in March, during National Youth Art Month. Before this show, K–12-grade students enrolled in an FNSBSD-affiliated institution are invited to submit one piece of art made at home or school to be exhibited in Up With Art. Volunteers are crucial to this show’s success and support various administrative and exhibition tasks.
Literary Arts
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Literary Readings
Fairbanks Arts hosts free literary readings for the public, featuring Alaskan and visiting authors who work in a variety of genres. Literary readings typically take place in the evening (between 6-8:30 p.m. from event set-up to clean up) and benefit from the following volunteer assistance:
- Docent responsibilities to help facilitate sales during a reading
- Counting visitors
- Prepping food
- Event set up & clean up
- Set up and facilitation of any technical components of a reading
Special Events
In addition to the events listed above, Fairbanks Arts also hosts various events such as artist lectures, fundraisers, workshops, performances, festivals, and markets. Most events are held in Pioneer Park, though some events are held in other community locations. Volunteer assistance is vital to making these various events safe, fun, successful community engagement opportunities! You can click the section header above to return to the top of this page at any time.
Handmade Holiday Market
This gathering aims to connect artists, artisans, and creatives with the broader community and with one another and activates all of Pioneer Park! Fairbanks Arts’ Market inside the Exhibit Hall of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts is a celebratory event promoting locally crafted art, treats, and objects resulting from time, skill, and creativity. The 2023 Market event welcomed over 3,500 visitors from around Interior Alaska! Volunteer assistance is needed:
- Decorating for the event
- setting up/ cleaning up
- Assisting with vendor load in and vendor hospitality throughout the day
- Counting visitors
- Assisting with Fairbanks Arts’ info table and fundraising stations
Chena Lake Art & Music Festival
The Chena Lake Art & Music Festival takes place out at the Chena Lake Recreation Area in North Pole, Alaska, during the summer months. This outdoor event features art vendors, food trucks, musical performances, and activities for visitors of all ages. Volunteers assist with:
- Event set-up/clean up
- Assisting with vendor load in and vendor hospitality throughout the day
- Counting visitors
- Assisting with Fairbanks Arts’ info table and fundraising stations
Outreach Events
Fairbanks Arts participates in various outreach events throughout the year, that are managed in collaboration between Fairbanks Arts staff and volunteers. Volunteers assist with set-up/clean up, decorating, facilitating activities, and sharing information about Fairbanks Arts with the public.
Join a Fairbanks Arts Committee
Fairbanks Arts committees have been on an extended hiatus courtesy of our 2019 temporary relocation, followed by a pandemic– we are excited to begin convening committees (including some new ones) soon! Committees are made up of current Fairbanks Arts Members who are invested in guiding and supporting the various programs, events, and efforts of Fairbanks Arts Association.
If you are interested in getting involved with your community arts organization and connecting with the arts community through this volunteer opportunity, click the button below.