GRETA BERTRAM, CURATOR

This week is National Volunteers’ Week, an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution that millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. Volunteers have been in the headlines a lot in recent weeks thanks to the help they have been giving throughout the coronavirus crisis, but in ordinary times museums rely heavily on volunteers to help us carry out many of our day-to-day activities.

At the Crafts Study Centre we have a small team of volunteers who help with various collections-related tasks, including listing the books in the Library, cataloguing some of the object and archive collections, basic conservation and rehousing work on some of the collections, and anything else I need help with. Many of these tasks are enormous and will take months – or even years – to complete, so it’s great to have a team to start chipping away at them.

To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, I’ve asked three of our volunteers to tell us a bit about themselves and what they do at the CSC. 

Emma 

“I started volunteering when I semi-retired from my job. I was a student at UCA many years ago when it was still the West Surrey College of Art and Design, and I always wanted to work in conservation – but somehow ended up in teaching. I spent my pre-lockdown Wednesdays at the CSC painstakingly picking moths and debris out of textile samples – I found this is surprisingly interesting, absorbing and relaxing. In lockdown I have been practising my topiary skills.”

Angela 

“I was given the enormous task of cataloguing a collection of photographs relating to Alan Peters, the eminent furniture maker. I have never done anything like this before and so it was a steep learning curve. Fortunately, the photographs had all been put in order and theme by Shirley, the archivist, which helped significantly in entering them into the database in a chronological order.  

Working voluntarily at the CSC is a real honour and pleasure to be involved with its wonderful and diverse collection of hand-crafted items by some of the most renowned artists in the UK. My interest is in printmaking, and so to be able to see Bernard Leach’s etchings close up is wonderful. I also enjoy looking at the exhibitions in the galleries. The volunteering at the CSC makes me feel useful and that I am making a small difference to the upkeep of an important collection. 

My Wednesday mornings are still full of crafty things as I am practising my calligraphy, printmaking and stitching an heirloom of my own in the way of a patchwork quilt. Hopefully I will be able to remember what to do when we all eventually get back to the CSC – although I may need a refresher session with Shirley.”

Sarah 

“Sewing accession labels onto textiles, retrieving or returning objects or archival material to the correct storage space or sorting and cataloguing photographs – where a little detective work might be required to discover to whom, what, when and where the image relates – are all tasks I do as part of my volunteering at the CSC. Each might seem small but all form a part of the process that enable exhibitions to be assembled and make material available for study and research, and it is a privilege to be able to contribute in some small way. Having completed a textile degree (as a very mature student!), volunteering has allowed me to use the knowledge gained in a positive way as well as continuing to learn about other craft disciplines and to work with some exceptionally nice people. 

Prior to lockdown I had been cataloguing photographs relating to Lucie Rie and Hans Coper and so thought the ‘stay at home’ period would give me an opportunity to make sense of my own family photos dating back to the 1880s. However, the garden (plus the good weather) has proved too much of a draw, thus the photos still await a rainy day.”

I’d like to say a huge thank you to my volunteer team. Due to limited staff time and resources we are only able to have a very small number of volunteers – but they do make a big difference! If you would like find out more about volunteering opportunities at the Crafts Study Centre, please email me on greta.bertram@uca.ac.uk.