Welcome to Volunteering at the Burton – General Overview
At the Burton we actively encourage and seek members of the community and students to become part of our team through volunteering. Volunteers are vital to us in achieving our vision and objectives. We aim to encourage, develop and support volunteer involvement in our service within all appropriate departments, programmes and activities. The Burton is committed to its volunteer programme as a way of encouraging people’s involvement in the museum, which supports and enriches our work and the overall experience of our visitors.
A volunteer is anyone who without recompense performs an activity at the direction of and on behalf of the Burton. Volunteers may be involved in a range of activities and will supplement the service provided. Volunteers bring new skills and perspectives to the organisation and can undertake activities that would not otherwise be carried out.
There are many different reasons for becoming a volunteer including; Social reasons, Meeting with people who share a similar interest, Satisfaction of knowing they have helped make the collections more accessible to the public, Interest in collections, local heritage, the arts, To develop or gain new skills, To put existing skills to good use, To gain a sense of achievement.
At the Burton we will strive to develop volunteer roles that promote and support the above reasons for volunteering. The main volunteers roles we offer are:
• Volunteer Gallery Assistant
• Volunteer Guide /Enhanced Gallery Assistant
• Volunteer Gallery Education Assistant
• Volunteer Art Handling and Collections Care Assistant
• Volunteer Marketing and Promotions Assistant (tbc)
We are currently recruiting volunteers for Kids Krate - download a role description here.
For further information on volunteering at the Burton, please contact us for an informal discussion.
Volunteer Profile – Lisa Pow
Lisa has been volunteering at the Burton on the Kids Krate and children’s workshops. Read her thoughts on volunteering at the Burton
Describe yourself
I am a friendly, outgoing 21 years old, student currently at university studying on a BA Fine Art at De Monfort. I’ve lived in Bideford all my life, and have grown up visiting the Burton. I’ve always had an interest in the arts; I even remember having work in the Burton as part of the schools exhibition when I was at primary school.
What made you think about volunteering?
I was mainly interested in volunteering because of the course I am on I thought volunteering would be a good way of gaining additional experience and would be great for my CV. It’s not something we’re told to do and I won’t be marked on it but it will certainly stand me in good credit in terms of when I leave in July 2012. Quite a few of my friends are doing similar things in terms of volunteering and gaining work experience, and personally I wanted to gain some experience in an area of the arts I didn’t know much about so that I could think about my future career.
What made you think about volunteering at the Burton?
I’d come home for the summer from Uni and the Burton was the perfect place to volunteer for me. I also work in local gift shop in Westward Ho! So fitting in volunteering at the Burton around my shifts was easy. It’s an art gallery and museum and it runs a great range of activities and events and I was interested in finding out more about arts education – the Burton fitted the bill
What have you been doing at the Burton?
I’ve been volunteering on the Kids Krate – an under 5’s art and craft activity that runs every Friday from 1 – 3pm, and on the summer programme of children’s workshops. I’ve mainly worked on the Kids Krate, helping to plan and lead the sessions, documenting the work produced and generally working with the parents and children to assist them in some of the making activities. Some parents when they first come along aren’t confident in their own making abilities so my role has been to support them in growing their confidence.
I was really surprised about the level of responsibility I was given as a volunteer, as I literally thought I would just be making the tea! But actually the main reason I continued volunteering and getting so much out of working on the Kids Krate has been because of the level of trust I’ve been given. I never thought I would enjoy working with kids, especially under 5’s, but I’ve discovered a confidence that I didn’t think I had and I am now seriously considering working with children delivering art activities as part of my career.
What's been the best thing?
Definitely the level of trust and responsibility – it made me feel more like I was part of the team, my views and opinions were taken on board and put into action.
It was also great to work alongside the Burton staff, including Karen Hawkins, a public artist who tutors on some of the children’s workshops. Feedback from staff was really useful, and Karen gave me a real insight into what it would be like being an artist and earning a living delivering educational projects. It was so good to hear from someone who actually does what I want to do, and was in my position 10-15 years ago.
What's been the worst thing?
The Under 5’s Kids Krate is a drop in session – which means you never know exactly how many people will turn up. This is quite scary and makes you feel unprepared. One of the last sessions of the summer was based around pirates and we were swamped with regulars, new local attendees and holiday makers. I didn’t think we could cope – but we did and it was fantastic. It meant that I learnt a lot about my abilities and delivering to large volumes of visitors – it turned out to be one of the best sessions I was involved in and I really enjoyed it.
If this is something you in connection to a future career - how will it help you?
I am definitely considering working in arts education in the future and it’s given me a real insight and confidence into pursuing this as a career.
Would you volunteer again?
This has been my first experience of volunteering, and I would definitely do it again, at the Burton or at another arts based project.
Would you recommend volunteering at the Burton - and on the Kids Krate activities?
Yes – if you do want to test the waters, the Burton is a fantastic place to start.
For general enquires relating to the Burton Art Gallery and Museum;
Email: burtonartgallery@torridge.gov.uk
Tel: 01237 471455
For enquires relating to Tourist Information on Bideford:
Email: bidefordtic@torridge.gov.uk
Tel: 01237 477676 or 01237 421853
Miranda Clarke
Visual Arts Manager
Email: miranda.clarke@torridge.gov.uk
Warren Collum
Exhibitions and Collections Officer
Email: warren.collum@torridge.gov.uk
Nicky Crispin
Gallery/Tourist Information Supervisor
Email: nicky.crispin@torridge.gov.uk
Julian Vayne
RJ Lloyd Learning Development Officer
Email: julian.vayne@torridge.gov.uk
Information Officers – can be contacted via the generic email and phone number above
Jennie Pengilly
Victoria Lindo (with Retail Responsibility)
Emily Paine (with Retail Responsibility)
Hilary Williams
For further information on the Friends of the Burton Art Gallery and Museum, click here.
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