A recent study from The Arts Council has shown that culture volunteers are more likely than average to be involved and influential in their local communities, developing the skills and confidence that will make them more employable (and also 20% more likely to vote!).

We caught up with a couple of our volunteers who have gone on to do great things in the world of art and culture:

Abigail McKenzie, Founder of Dearly Beloved, 

Abigail volunteered at Plymouth Arts Centre as a Visual Arts and Education Programme Intern in the summer of 2013. Working alongside the curatorial team she supported them in the organisation of exhibitions and events.

Her experience of working in the marketing team for a larger gallery was a great help for Abigail, and she quickly got to grips with the variety of tasks assigned to her, 

“One day I would be researching the cost of custom signage and helping out with admin, and then I would be doing more practical tasks like helping with installation and designing promotional posters. It was a chance to see how the logistics of a smaller, more varied contemporary arts centre worked.”

Abigail now runs her own business, Dearly Beloved, which specialises in creating modern, illustrated wedding stationery and the occasional branding project. When asked how her time volunteering at PAC may have influenced the work she does now, she said,

“One of the most valuable things I developed was confidence. During my time at PAC although I was a volunteer I was involved in conversations and expected to use my initiative like any other member of staff. Not being afraid to just pick up the phone and ask questions has been great for me as a small business owner, and just being a fly on the wall to see how others approached problems within a creative organisation was invaluable.”

Discussing the importance of valuing the genuine exchange that should take place between volunteers and organisations, Abigail was passionate about ensuring volunteering should be mutually beneficial and not a one way street.

“Professionals within arts organisations are able to impart the things they have learned with people just starting out in their careers, and the people who want to give something back to the organisations. In these cases volunteering is so important, arts organisations form a huge part of our communities. So many of the good experiences I have had in Plymouth stem from the arts organisations we have here, and with current diminishing funding opportunities help from volunteers can enable places like PAC to continue their amazing work.”

Dearly Beloved was awarded the Wedding Styling Product of the Year 2016 at the Make Awards from Not On The High Street, and was also a regional finalist at the Wedding Industry Awards 2017.

Ben Cherry, Volunteer cinema usher and blog contributor

Ben has been a volunteer at Plymouth Arts Centre for 3 years, initially starting out as an usher in our cinema after graduating from UWE with a degree in Film Studies, and then also contributing film reviews to our online blog.

“I have been passionate about films for as long as I can remember. I had originally planned to apply as a volunteer on the front desk, but then an usher vacancy became available and I have been there ever since.”

Ben regularly puts his skills in writing and analysing film to use on the PAC blog, giving him the chance to develop his own style of writing and encouraged him to consider pursuing it as a career. Ben said, “It offers an amazing opportunity to write about a subject that you are interested in and for a recognised establishment.”

“Volunteering at PAC gives me the opportunity to work in an environment and an area I am interested especially in an industry that is notoriously hard to get into.”

Ben then explained that he feels volunteering offers him diversity and the opportunity to network with like-minded movie buffs, and for him that’s the most valuable part of the experience, “I get to experience all sorts of different films that I wouldn’t normally be exposed to, and meet people who are also as interested in art and film as I am.”

“Volunteering is vital to gaining experience in working within arts and culture as it shows that you are invested enough to go out in your free time to contribute to something you care about. It also is vital for people wanting to work within that industry who do not necessarily have the experience just yet.”

Speaking of his own experience, Ben recounts some of the events he’s been a part of through his volunteering at PAC, “purely through volunteering I have been able to attend and write about the Plymouth Film Festival, Open Air Cinema and I have had the opportunity to  meet (or at least be in the same room as) Pulp band members and top British directors like Ben Wheatley.”

Ben’s favourite film he’s seen at PAC since volunteering as an usher at the cinema? “Good question and not an easy one to answer! I have to choose two, Boyhood and American Honey”.

To register your interest with any of our available opportunities, please complete a volunteer application form and return for the attention of Operations Manager, Manon Le Tual.

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INTERNSHIP AT PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

By Susan Hamston

Having been involved in the practical and creative side of making art, I was lacking an understanding of how an Arts Centre runs: from funding and curating to marketing and installing exhibitions. This was an opportunity to fill in the gaps and support my own practice.

I began with a small research project in the archive of Plymouth Arts Centre, looking at significant curators, artists and events which shaped the last seventy years in anticipation of next years 70th anniversary celebrations. Looking through the attic turned up some interesting material including a scrapbook which had been started in the nineteen fifties and documented the first solo exhibition by a woman artist as well as newspaper articles about the Arts Centre through the sixties.

Next up was the live streaming of Take A Part’s Social Making Symposium, which brought together practitioners of socially engaged art to discuss their projects and share information. In between helping out with the hospitality, there was the opportunity to sit in and listen to some of the speakers who are doing fantastic work with vulnerable and marginalised people as well as with children.

Following this was the installation of Heather Phillipson’s eagerly awaited exhibition TRUE TO SIZE. Working alongside staff from PAC and the Arts Council Collection I assisted with the installation of this complex show which incorporated sculpture, audio and video elements. This was an area of particular interest, and it was good to get some technical tips and a quick lesson in art handling from the ACC technicians.

Through this internship I have also attended meetings to discuss project funding, listened to artists talks and received some much needed computer training. This has helped my own practice by giving me new contacts, a better understanding of what is required when making my own funding applications and a greater skill set.

For any practicing artist or someone wanting a career in arts administration, doing an internship is a way of gaining knowledge, support and experience in Contemporary Art.

Susan Hamston is also an artist and about to start a Teaching Assistant placement at Plymouth School of Creative Arts. Visit Susan’s website here: https://www.susanhamston.com

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I am a mature student doing a BA in Fine Arts at the University of Plymouth. Before I started my degree I would have called myself a painter – things have changed quite surprisingly as now I am drawn to work with film and hardly pick up a paint brush (I ‘paint’ in the editing process!). So my placement at Plymouth Arts Centre to work closely with established film artist Margaret Salmon was ideal, one where not only the world of archives and film opened up to me but also the relationships between artist and institution/gallery. Also, little did I know what a huge and amazing resource archives are, and that so much material is made available to the public.

Margaret Salmon is an American film-maker who is presently based in Glasgow. Her films are fuelled by references to the great realist tradition in film, and she has a particular sensitivity to interactions between soundtrack and image. She shoots and edits all her work on her own and uses 16mm or 35mm film. I was to find specific film footage to be used in a key film sequence for her current project, Eglantine, an intimate, vivid tracing of a young girl’s real and fantastical adventure into a remote woods one evening. Margaret sent me a trailer to watch of this film, I felt very inspired both by the quality of the film and the idea and, in speaking to Margaret, excited to be on-board with this project.

My initial response to working in the archive was one of self-doubt – the archive seemed like a daunting and foreign world, one where I’d be out of my depth. However, the reality was quite different – the people who work at SWFTA (South West Film Television Archive) were so welcoming and helpful. My first impressions were indeed of stepping into a different world, where history is very palpable and present and lovingly preserved – in the rooms full of film reels and videos and the old telecinis and steenbecks to view and transfer the footage. During my time at SWFTA I learnt how to use their vast database to source relevant footage and how to use the steenbeck to view film. I loved the physical nature of handling the films and viewing them in this way. I refined my search to three wildlife documentary series taken on 16mm film in the 70s, which had some very beautiful and relevant footage.

I had to work independently, organise and prioritise my time and the findings. I worked closely with Margaret and also the technicians at SWFTA, who would take my findings and transfer them into a viewing file for Margaret. My major learning was in relation to Margaret, the artist herself. I was greatly impressed by her and all the strands she holds as an artist, and in some way I saw her as an institution herself. The knowledge she had of film and how she communicated her vision to me, the negotiations and discussions with SWFTA in regards to copyright, scanning and transferring footage and how to integrate these findings into her film. It was a real insight into how an artist has to generate and find funding and work within a tight budget, relate to external institutions (gallery and archive), meet and manage deadlines and see long-term projects through, all the while staying true to one’s vision. For me, as an assistant, I had to develop my own relationships and channels of communication between artist and archive and gallery. I had to adopt another’s vision as my own and to keep making sure that I was on the same page as the artist through a process of continual refinement. I also learnt about the history of film and the different qualities and processes involved in transferring and digitalising old film. All of this further informs my own practice as an artist and prepares me a little for what is to come as I step out into the world.

Zanna Markillie

Margaret’s website: https://www.margaretsalmon.info/

SWFTA: https://swfta.co.uk/ Plymouth Arts Centre: https://www.plymouthartscinema.org

The post On Placement: Working with Artist’s Film appeared first on Plymouth Arts Cinema | Independent Cinema for Everyone | located at Arts University Plymouth..

Placement student Rose Hellyar worked at Plymouth Arts Centre on the curation of The First Humans exhibition. This is her account of her time with us.

Curated by Angela Kingston, in association with Plymouth Arts Centre, The Pump House Gallery in London and Arts Council England, The First Humans exhibition has a central theme of early human civilisation of the late Paleolithic time period, dating back to 94BC. The artworks displayed have a primeval context, to enhance public learning.

The exhibition shows the works of Jack Strange, Vidya Gastaldon, Salvatore Arancio and Caroline Achaintre. Working within mediums of installation, video art, photography, print, painting, sculpture and textiles.

I was on placement at Plymouth Arts Centre for my BA Joint HONS Fine Art and Art History course, at the University of Plymouth to gain curatorial experience as that is my chosen career field. I was able to contribute and present my own ideas to the team, use Photoshop to help plan the exhibition layout, as well as perform condition checks, and install the art with the PAC team. It was great to work within a curatorial office environment, to get this practical hands on experience which will be applied in the future.

I researched Plymouth’s own Paleolithic history to give the exhibition a historical context, specifically focusing on anthropological history and archaeological findings, such as primeval spear heads, or animals bones etc. All these findings have helped narrow down our research to focus on one timeline, and therefore influencing artists and tying everything together at the end.

The use of gallery space I found was also important, and I felt that The Threefold Law by Andy Harper (2012) was the piece to draw attention to the exhibition theme, as well as enticing the viewers to carry on around the gallery to see more of the displays.

On reflection of my experience within Plymouth Arts Centre’s Curatorial team, from me being able to practically and theoretically engage in curating was a dynamic and innovative experience. It has presented the opportunity to learn and develop new skills.

The overall feeling of the exhibition was successful, the team worked very well together to meet deadlines, and therefore taught me further time management and prioritization skills. This also created the feeling that I want to work within a team like this in the not so distant future.

Rose J Hellyar https://rosesartjournals.blogspot.co.uk

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Cara Green was one of the many volunteers who helped with Plymouth Art Weekender on the 25-27 September 2015. Here she tells us about the weekender from her point of view.

Upon returning to Plymouth after a summer back home for my 3rd and final year on the undergraduate Fine Art course at Plymouth University, I agreed to volunteer for the Plymouth Art Weekender. I’d heard murmurs of the exciting event throughout the summer and thought what better way to get involved and see what it was all about than from the inside.

Arriving at Plymouth School of Creative Arts, one of the central hubs in the vast network of venues for the event, to meet festival director, Gordon Dalton, on the morning of my first day, I had little idea of what to expect. Over the next two days I got to wear (and keep) the brightest green t-shirt I’ve ever seen, complete with badge, administer badges to appreciative children and adults, assist with the smooth running of a performance by Serena Korda on Pebblestone beach which included feeling like part of the band helping musicians transport drum kits down to the water from the Hoe, and being official photographer for the event.

I got to grips with the extensively informative map/leaflet accompanying the event and listing all of the details for all the locations and events across the city so that I could locate, inform and advise keen art weekenders. I saw everyone I know involved in the local Plymouth art scene out and about over the weekend and also thoroughly enjoyed meeting many new people I didn’t know with key roles in the creative culture of Plymouth. I got to see and experience much of what the weekend had to offer myself as I went round, Saturday had such good weather I had an ice cream and Sunday evening ended in the Dolphin pub on the Barbican with volunteers, organisers and artists alike who all contributed to the overall success of Plymouth’s first Art Weekender.

Cara Green

www.caragreenart.wordpress.com Tell Plymouth Art Weekender about your experiences of the weekend by completing this survey.

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Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK – and it’s taking place from the 1-7 June 2015.

We would like to say a big thank you to the many people who volunteer their time to Plymouth Arts Centre this and every week. Our marketing volunteer Owen Jones has shared some thoughts about his experiences with us.

Having moved down from London where I had volunteered at an art group, I was looking for another opportunity to give and learn. I applied to Plymouth Arts Centre and luckily they had an opening in digital marketing. I am currently unemployed, so this was a great chance to gain work experience and update a few skills.

Digital marketing is promoting Plymouth Arts Centre and its exhibitions, films, and education via social media and the web. So it’s using Twitter and Facebook, but also Plymouth’s own cultural app, Artory to spread and exchange information and opinion and try to get everyone excited and active.

What have I done? Since I joined in late April I have edited images for use with social media, learned to upload data to and update the Plymouth Arts Centre website, sat in a few staff meetings, and thoroughly enjoyed it all!

The staff have all been welcoming and friendly. Charlotte (the Digital Marketing Assistant) and Kate (Head of Communications and Development) who set my tasks, have both been helpful and taken the time to explain or teach me what to do.

What do I get out of it? I get simple satisfactions, like in getting a task done, but also much deeper ones like supporting a valuable institution. I have always believed in the value of the Arts, I am an artist myself, and feel that everyone should have access to stuff that makes you think and feel and isn’t just trying to sell you something.

I also get to wander around the exhibitions, which is fun. At the moment there’s two, Elizabeth Masterton & Lizzie Ridout: Tanks and Tablecloths, which includes a lot of materials from the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre, and also Matthew Houlding’s Lagoon West, that features his bright, intricate sculptures investigating the idylls and reality of a certain “deserted land of swimming pools, sunsets”.

I’m also looking forward to the film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night which is irresistibly described as an “Iranian skateboarding vampire spaghetti western”!

If you are interested in volunteering at Plymouth Arts Centre, please send an email to info@plymouthartscinema.org

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Plymouth Arts Centre Trustee Alan Qualtrough on the importance of the arts and culture in the city.

Culture and art nourish the soul and create growth in the local economy. If harnessed intelligently, art can transform communities and lives.

A wish to help facilitate a step change that would put Plymouth on the map as a culture hub is one reason I became a trustee of Plymouth Arts Centre. 

I arrived in Plymouth in 2001 to edit the Evening Herald, and later the Western Morning News, having worked in thriving northern cities and London.

Like every newcomer, I quickly realised the city had great potential.

That was 13 years ago when digital media wasn’t as pervasive and the world was a different place; today cities have an opportunity to make their mark globally.

So how do we make sure that Plymouth is not just a passive consumer of digital and traditional media, but rises to the challenge of becoming a creative and productive global hub?

One way is to help PAC establish a new headquarters in Royal Parade so it becomes an even greater player in the city’s cultural life.

In the new building next door to the Civic Centre will be two cinemas and a high-spec gallery, more start up incubation spaces for would-be entrepreneurs, and strong community programmes.

It will be here that traditional and digital media can flourish together, it will be a base for skills training, collaboration and the showcasing of work. It will also be a major visitor attraction for Plymouth.

Art as an economic catalyst cannot work if all that is built is gallery space, so one PAC goal is to enable and inspire individuals to engage through participation, thus equipping them with skills necessary for a creative career.

I think the timing is right; an ambitious Local Economic Strategy (which among other things places a focus on creative arts) is in place in Plymouth and there is a degree of self-determination in economic planning through the recently-signed City Deal.

There is little standing in the way; the city’s broadband service is among the best in the UK and there is ambition and leadership.

The benefits would be enormous; for the creative sector, the use of broadband cuts at a stroke the disadvantage of Plymouth’s geography and distance from the market.

Also, I have a personal reason for wanting this change. I am a graphic design student at Plymouth College of Art and see daily the awesome creative talent of aspiring young people.

What a shame it would be if they have to move to Bristol or London or further afield to work.

Alan Qualtrough

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Visual Arts Programme Intern Juliet Middleton-Batts takes us behind the scenes at Plymouth Arts Centre (Photo: Dom Moore).

One month into my three-month internship and I am getting to know everyone and what they do. I am gaining an invaluable ‘behind-the-scenes’ look into how the centre is run and I have been made to feel really welcome.

My involvement to date has included painting the gallery, inputting text and images into a teachers’ pack, attending meetings, archiving images, painting exhibition displays, assisting at a workshop, and attending a planning meeting for the next show – and that was just in the first month!

The internship is such a two-way process – I am giving one day a week (unpaid), but the experience is worth its weight in gold. If you are considering a career in the arts, but like me, did not really know exactly what was involved, then do not hesitate to contact the Arts Centre.

The next few weeks will involve the further planning and implementation of the travelling Jerwood Drawing Prize Exhibition, which is showing in collaboration with Plymouth Art College. This is already proving to be very exciting and I will update you soon on how it is all going.

Juliet Middleton-Batts www.julietmiddletonbatts.com

Internships

If you are interested in an internship within Visual Arts and Education Programming at Plymouth Arts Centre, download the Internship Information Pack here. Internship applications will be considered in May 2014.

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