Volunteers at the National Gallery – the helpers supporting our success
Every week the National Gallery relies on the support of our fabulous volunteers, many of whom have been faithfully lending their support for years pitching in at events, managing our library, acting as art class assistants, supporting membership and office administration, and covering the exhibition hall reception – all with their sparkling smiles and happy willing faces. With limited resources and space, our volunteers step in where needed and support daily operations and special events to ensure the world class National Gallery you see today continues to grow and flourish.
In October 2018 the volunteer training requirements were redesigned to ensure that volunteers feel informed about the National Gallery and their role as a volunteer, and to help induct them into the ways of NGCI. We are a small and busy team with lots happening every week, from school tours to art classes and facility rentals, so it is important for our volunteers to feel a part of this and understand some of what happens here. With this in mind, five training sessions were created, each one designed to meet the aim of helping to ensure our volunteers are informed and knowledgeable about the National Gallery, the environment in which we operate and the way in which we fit into the Cayman community.
These sessions are:
- NGCI 101 –will discuss the history of NGCI, the team and programmes currently running and how we are working every day to further our mission of promoting the appreciation and practice of the visual arts of and in the Cayman Islands.
- Cayman Art History – will explore Cayman’s Art History, using the artwork contained within National Collection to guide attendees through a historical and stylistic journey of Cayman’s artwork and artists starting in the 1970’s and leading up to the present day.
- NGCI in the Cultural Context – this session will delve into the changing cultural landscape of the Cayman Islands and explore how the National Gallery fits into this landscape and uses art to tell its story.
- Museum Education – with education underpinning many of the weekly programmes on offer, this session will talk about the importance of education in a museum setting. The session will also explore the relationship between education and exhibitions and how programmes are developed for a variety of ages and abilities to ensure that the National Gallery is open and accessible to the community.
- Curating and Exhibition Development – this session will examine exhibition curatorship within a Caribbean and Cayman context. This session will cover key issues and best practices in museum and exhibition curatorship and detail the process by which exhibitions are selected and developed at NGCI.
The series started with NGCI 101, presented by Director Natalie Urquhart which was a great success and followed quickly with Cayman Art History which was presented by volunteer and past Education Manager, Emé Paschalides. Regular volunteer and vocal supporter of the National Gallery, Dianne Hardy, commented afterwards that it was an “Excellent introduction to the Art Museum, a walk through time in Cayman social history! I could have listened to Emé all evening, she brought it all to life! Well done and thank you!”.
These sessions are open to all current and past volunteers and those considering signing up. New volunteers looking to come on-board will be required to attend a minimum of one of the above sessions and complete an induction and orientation before starting.
For more information please contact Vicki Calvert-Das on development@nationalgallery.org.ky or call 945 8111.