Volunteers Remember the Getty Center’s Exhilarating Opening Days

During the past 25 years, Getty volunteers have celebrated holidays at each other’s homes, taken group field trips to additional museums, and even traveled together.

But for many, opening day at the Getty Center is their most memorable shared experience.

When the Center opened in December 1997, volunteers were ready, or so they thought. Over six months during a sizzling summer, about 500 of them got a crash course on every aspect of the site to ensure the safety and well-being of visitors. The volunteers walked every trail, learned every entry and exit point, and even pretended to be visitors so staff could practice evacuation procedures for the tram.

However, no one could have prepared the volunteers for the actuality of opening week. The Center was built with a capacity of 10,000 visitors, but 20,000 showed up every day during that inaugural period, the volunteers remembered. A line of cars parked along Sepulveda Boulevard stretched for miles. Staff and volunteers passed out Rice Krispies treats to hungry guests waiting to get in. The restaurant and cafes were so overwhelmed that they ran out of food. Phones around the Center rang constantly with callers trying to score tickets. And, as (bad) luck would have it, El Niño had just struck Southern California, bringing rain and frigid temperatures.

The first group of volunteers helped direct and manage this crush of visitors, all while smiling.

“It was chaos, it was exciting, it was raining and cold, but we loved every minute of it,” said 25-year volunteer Barbara Oltmann.

For 25 years, nearly 1,700 volunteers have served a vital role at the Getty Center and Villa. They greet visitors when they get off the tram and help direct them to the Museum and other sites around the Center. Volunteers staff the Information Desk and are stationed in the Central Garden, Museum Entrance, and Museum Courtyard to answer questions, which can range from “Where is the bathroom?” to “Which painting should I see first?” There are currently around 400 members of the volunteer corps, which is separate from a docent program that provides guided tours of the art and grounds.

“At the beginning, you came [to volunteer] maybe because you’re retired, have extra time on your hands, or enjoy art and giving back to the community, but that’s not why you stay,” said volunteer manager DaNetta Rizzo. “You get to meet people on your shifts, and you come to love each other.”

This social, family-like atmosphere has certainly helped keep Rhona Singer coming back. In 1997, she was already a volunteer at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage (now the Autry Museum of the American West) and the Craft and Folk Art Museum (now Craft Contemporary). Still “looking for something to do,” she joined Getty at the suggestion of a friend who volunteered at the Villa and loved it. 25 years later, Singer is still coming every week for her shift.

“Especially in those first years, there was a closeness, everyone knew who you were and cared about you,” Singer said. “Getty was an exciting place to be, you enjoyed the people in your shift, it was a nice place to come, and we were proud to be here.”

And, judging by the delighted responses she receives when people learn she’s a Getty volunteer (and the perks that often ensue as a result, like free admission to other museums), the magic of the Center’s opening week hasn’t dissipated in the last two and a half decades. “It’s great to tell people you volunteer here,” she said.

For Lestary Gunawan, a 20-year volunteer, the most gratifying part of donating her time is meeting new guests and offering suggestions about how to make the most of their stay at the Center. And they really listen, she said.

“It can be overwhelming for first-time visitors, so we give them highlights, and they really appreciate that,” Gunawan said. “That’s the most rewarding part for me.”