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Volunteers Who Grow Together
Reynolda depends on the daily support of volunteers, who educate and enrich the lives of our guests by creating remarkable experiences both inside the Museum and outdoors in the Gardens. Reynolda’s range of available volunteer opportunities welcomes a variety of abilities and interests.
Reynolda House Volunteer Orientation April 10th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
September 12,-November 14, 2024 10:00 am- 12:00 pm
Read the latest stories from Reynolda volunteers.
Volunteer Opportunities
Leading tours
Docents who lead tours at Reynolda House first prepare by familiarizing themselves with tour content and routes. They greet and orient tour visitors to the history and collections at Reynolda. Then, they lead the visitors on an interactive tour of the historic house and the Babcock wing’s featured exhibit. Reynolda House offers tours to groups of adults, college students, and school-aged children.
Guides who lead tours at Reynolda Gardens prepare themselves with the tour content and what’s in bloom. They greet tour visitors and orient them to Gardens’ history, layout, and purposes. Then, they lead the group on an interactive tour of the greenhouse, formal gardens, and greater gardens, depending on the tour’s focus. Reynola Gardens offers tours to adult groups, college students, and school-aged children.
Assisting in the studios with art projects
Volunteers who assist in the art studio help prepare the space or materials (i.e., cutting paper). They assist children and adults with the project ensuring safety and encouraging creativity. They may also instruct visitors about art-making processes or materials.
Greeting museum guests
Volunteers who greet guests stay in the front lobby area near the store. They greet visitors and direct them to restrooms and lockers to stow personal belongings. They may review the museum etiquette guidelines and orient visitors to the history and collections at Reynolda. They help people find what they are looking for or help introduce the different areas of the museum to them.
Engaging museum guests within the historic house
Volunteers who engage museum guests float through the historic house. They help orient guests to various locations in the historic house, offering historical context and/or interpretation of the art on view.
Decorating
Volunteers who help decorate at Reynolda arrange flowers for events, restrooms, and other spaces as needed. They help decorate for the Christmas season, handling antique glass ornaments and other period décor.
Assisting in the library and archives Limited Availability
Volunteers who assist in the library and archives help shelve materials, find and organize relevant articles for Reynolda and its collections, and handle the archival collection (books, letters, papers) under the supervision of Reynolda’s archivist.
Assisting with merchandise
We need occasional seasonal volunteers to help organize and package merchandise for retail sales.
Working in the gardens
In the formal gardens, volunteers help prune, deadhead, harvest, mulch, weed, and water.
In the greater gardens, volunteers plant, clear brush, cut vines, and spread wood chips on trails.
In the Greenhouse, volunteers help maintain the cleanliness of the Greenhouse,
transplant cuttings, plugs, bare root, and nursery stock into containers, as well as prepare plants for sale.
Other volunteer opportunities include working Community Days, after-hours events, and assisting during public programs. There are also opportunities for organizations or groups to come and volunteer together.
Each semester we offer a course to prepare Reynolda House volunteers. Volunteer applicants for the House will receive registration information automatically once the course opens.
We offer two orientations a year for Gardens volunteers, one in February and one in August. Volunteer applicants for the Gardens will receive orientation information automatically at least a month in advance.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the application linked below or contact Stephani Eaton, Coordinator of Tours and Volunteers, at stephani@reynolda.org or 336.758.5389.
Online Resources
Read the latest stories from Reynolda volunteers.
Reynolda curators and staff take a closer look at one work of art or one story from our history.
Upcoming Events
See full calendar
Feb 22, 2022 — Dec 31, 2024
Discover the lives of the Black women and men who helped shape Reynolda as it evolved from a Jim Crow era working estate into a museum.
Oct 20, 2023 — Oct 27, 2024
Portraits are often taken at face value—as accurate representations of a person’s appearance, sometimes removed by decades or centuries. But portraits are often the products of delicate negotiatio…
Dec 9, 2023 — Jun 30, 2024
In 1934, the Regionalist artist Grant Wood made an agreement with Associated American Artists (AAA) in New York to create a series of lithographs. Wood, the creator of Reynolda’s iconic 1936 paintin…
Mar 1, 2024 — Jun 2, 2024
Embracing the times in which she lived, Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976) created images that reflect crucial movements and developments in art and photography during her seventy-year career. Her photog…
Apr 25, 2024, 6:00pm — 7:30pm
Join us for an insightful exploration into the remarkable career of Imogen Cunningham, a pioneering force in photography whose impact spanned an impressive seventy years. Presented by Paul Martineau, …
Apr 26, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
To promote reading readiness and visual literacy, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore Reynolda through activities that encourage dramatic play, music, movement, nature exploration, and art-…
Apr 27, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
On a Comfort & Convenience tour, visitors will tour the Historic House and examine how Katharine employed the newest technologies of her day.
Apr 28, 2024, 2:30pm — 3:30pm
The Reynolda Quartet returns to Reynolda House for a concert of works for a string quartet. The Reynolda Quartet, consisting of UNCSA Music faculty-artists, was founded in 2019 as a partnership betwee…
May 1, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
May 3, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
To promote reading readiness and visual literacy, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore Reynolda through activities that encourage dramatic play, music, movement, nature exploration, and art-…
May 4, 2024, 9:30am — 4:30pm
Celebrate self-expression and empowerment with Reynolda during Community Day when museum admission is free for all.
May 10, 2024, 10:00am — 10:45am
Come join us for an outdoor storytime perfect for children who are emerging readers. Featuring a different theme each month, we’ll hear stories, sing songs, and participate in fingerplays. Leaders w…
May 11, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
Join us for this family program as we cut and prepare a combination of locally sourced flowers and a few beautiful selections from our Gardens. Children and their caretakers can enjoy pairing and arra…
May 11, 2024, 1:00pm — 2:00pm
Have you ever wanted to see the rooms at Reynolda House that are usually not open to the public? Do you want to learn more about how workers kept the large estate operating to maintain the Reynolds fa…
May 14, 2024, 12:00pm — 1:00pm
This monthly series offers an in-depth examination of a work of art or object at Reynolda by curators, educators, and students. In this discussion, Curator Allison Slaby will share about Gilbert Stuar…
May 17, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
To promote reading readiness and visual literacy, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore Reynolda through activities that encourage dramatic play, music, movement, and art-making.
May 24, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
To promote reading readiness and visual literacy, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore Reynolda through activities that encourage dramatic play, music, movement, and art-making.
May 24, 2024, 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Meg Partridge, Imogen Cunningham’s granddaughter and director of the Imogen Cunningham Trust, grew up around Cunningham, often visiting her home and studio in San Francisco. In her teens, Patridge w…
May 25, 2024, 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Meg Partridge, Imogen Cunningham’s granddaughter and director of the Imogen Cunningham Trust, grew up around Cunningham, often visiting her home and studio in San Francisco. In her teens, Patridge w…
May 25, 2024, 2:00pm — 3:30pm
Meg Partridge, Imogen Cunningham’s granddaughter, and director of the Imogen Cunningham Trust, grew up around Imogen, often visiting her home and studio in San Francisco. In her teens, Meg worked fo…
May 26, 2024, 2:00pm — 4:00pm
This two class series (May 26th and June 9) provides an experiential application of meditative mind that is somewhat similar to the Buddhist practice of calm abiding and insight meditation with a spec…
May 29, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
May 31, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
To promote reading readiness and visual literacy, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore Reynolda through activities that encourage dramatic play, music, movement, and art-making.
Jun 1, 2024, 2:00pm — 4:00pm
Grab your goggles and don your favorite swimwear… Members’ Swim Club returns on select dates this spring. Enjoy up to two hours with your family in Reynolda’s original 1937 indoor pool. We’ll …
Jun 2, 2024, 2:00pm — 4:00pm
Artist Grant Wood created models of his subjects before painting landscapes like Spring Turning (1936). In this workshop, we’ll learn some techniques for modeling with polymer clay, as well as ways …
Jun 14, 2024, 10:00am — 12:00pm
Explore the creek that flows through Wildflower Island on our Woodland Trail. Step into the cool creek, dip nets to find macroinvertebrates, and discover the amazing critters in this aquatic ecosystem…
Jun 14, 2024, 1:00pm — 2:00pm
Have you ever wanted to see the rooms at Reynolda House that are usually not open to the public? Do you want to learn more about how workers kept the large estate operating to maintain the Reynolds fa…
Jun 18, 2024, 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Stephani Eaton, coordinator of tours and volunteers, will discuss Katharine Reynolds’s china from Tiffany & Co. for this monthly series that offers an in-depth examination of a work of art o…
Jun 21, 2024, 10:00am — 10:45am
Come join us for an outdoor storytime perfect for children who are emerging readers. Featuring a different theme each month, we’ll hear stories, sing songs, and participate in fingerplays. Leader…
Jun 22, 2024, 7:30pm — 9:00pm
In this intergenerational outdoor evening program at Reynolda, participants will hear stories about lightning bugs and learn about these fascinating bioluminescent insects. Practice scientific observa…
Jun 24, 2024, 9:00am — Jun 28, 2024, 2:00pm
In the Creative Writing Workshop, young writers will hone their craft and learn the basics of prose and poetry through a variety of writing activities inspired by the art and history of Reynolda.
Jun 28, 2024, 10:00am — 12:00pm
Explore the creek that flows through Wildflower Island on our Woodland Trail. Step into the cool creek, dip nets to find macroinvertebrates, and discover the amazing critters in this aquatic ecosystem…
Jun 29, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
Reynolda Discovery Lessons promote reading readiness and visual literacy for preschoolers through dramatic play, music, movement, and artmaking, using a work of art or item from Reynolda’s colle…
Jul 8, 2024, 9:00am — Jul 12, 2024, 1:00pm
Now sold out! Inspired by the museum’s renowned collection of American art, young artists will produce their own original work of art each day during this half-day camp.
Jul 9, 2024, 7:00pm — 9:00pm
Back by popular demand! Travel back to the fateful night of July 6, 1932 when Smith Reynolds was shot on the Reynolda estate.
Jul 10, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
Jul 10, 2024, 7:00pm — 9:00pm
Back by popular demand! Travel back to the fateful night of July 6, 1932 when Smith Reynolds was shot on the Reynolda estate.
Jul 15, 2024, 9:00am — Jul 19, 2024, 1:00pm
Inspired by the museum’s renowned collection of American art, young artists will produce their own original work of art each day during this half-day camp.
Jul 17, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
Jul 20, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
Reynolda Discovery Lessons promote reading readiness and visual literacy for preschoolers through dramatic play, music, movement, and artmaking, using a work of art or item from Reynolda’s colle…
Jul 22, 2024, 9:00am — Jul 26, 2024, 2:00pm
Young writers will explore the basics of developing a story in this writing camp. Participants will engage in each stage of the writing process, including pre-writing, drafting, revision, and publicat…
Jul 24, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
Jul 29, 2024, 8:30am — 12:30pm
Young Naturalists who complete first through fifth grades this school year will spend the week exploring the gardens, greenhouses, woodlands, meadows, and streams of Reynolda with expert naturalists a…
Aug 14, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
Aug 28, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Wednesday, May 1- Peonies/Poppies (SOLD OUT- WAITLIST ONLY) Wednesday, May 15- Planting at Reynolda Wednesday, May 29- Roots in the Gardens and Grounds Wednesday, July 10- Tadpoles and …
Sep 21, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
Reynolda Discovery Lessons promote reading readiness and visual literacy for preschoolers through dramatic play, music, movement, and artmaking, using a work of art or item from Reynolda’s colle…