HOUSTON, TX.- Houston-area residents interested in contributing to the cultural vibrancy of the city by volunteering at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, are invited to attend a free Guild and Volunteer Social on Monday, June 8, at the museum´s Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet Street in the heart of the Museum District. Volunteers and museum staff will be on hand at the event, scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m., to answer questions, provide information, and take applications. Refreshments will be served and those attending can register for door prizes.

Each year, more than 1,100 men and women, from high school students to retirees, donate their time to the museum. In exchange, they learn about art from around the world and help the museum to meet its goal of bringing art into the lives of people throughout the community. Volunteers have contributed more than 51,500 hours annually to the MFAH in recent years.

Volunteer opportunities at the MFAH abound, encompassing a broad range of abilities and interests, and include such duties as leading tours of the museum galleries, working at the Map Station desk, helping with retail operations, assisting with clerical duties in staff offices, facilitating children´s art projects at Target Free First Sundays, and greeting guests at lectures and performance events. Help is needed at both museum gallery buildings and at the MFAH´s two house museums, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens and Rienzi.

Volunteers are also needed to assist with special events and projects each year, including: Bayou Bend Family Days, every third Sunday, September through May; the Bayou Bend Children´s Party, April; the Bayou City Art Festival, October and March; the MFAH Holiday Party, December; and Glassell Sketch Day, Spring.

All volunteers have the option of becoming a member of the Guild, which is one of the museum´s many special interest groups, but Guild membership is not required to volunteer. The Guild has 500 members, many of whom provide volunteer service throughout the museum campus. Annual Guild memberships start at $40, and members receive special benefits such as exclusive lectures, private exhibition viewings, trips, and social events throughout the year.