Hannah from Eday had already volunteered with Clan. She was thinking about studying art, fashion and design at university and talked to us about to getting involved in something creative after school.
We found her a placement at Pier Arts Centre. At the time, Hannah said:
I wanted exposure to this type of work and atmosphere as much as possible. It’s really good to see how artists create so many different types of work, and how they use different media. I’m picking up so much as I go along and it’s great for my CV when I’m looking to get into uni.
Carol Dunbar from Pier Arts Centre is in no doubt of the value of volunteers. She said:
When we’re hanging a big exhibition such as this (the Christmas Open exhibition) and we’re trying to match such a variety of work and of media, it’s great to have as many fresh eyes as possible to help with that. There are often job opportunities such as seasonal assistants that volunteers have gone on to do in the past, and being here is also helpful if they’re putting together a portfolio for further study.
Since then, Hannah has been successful in gaining a place art school and will be starting her study in August/September this year. She said:
I think volunteering at the Peir Arts Centre helped me because I was able to say I had a hands on, practical experience in an art gallery. Last summer I went to Athens for a month to volunteer which was such an amazing experience, and I was only able to do that because I have had past volunteering experience.
