If you’ve visited Symplicity recently, you may have noticed the volunteer opportunity being offered by the Burnaby Art Gallery.  The gallery is looking for docents –   energetic individuals interested in leading school tours of the gallery exhibitions and assisting students with creating art in a warm, supportive environment.  The position certainly caught my eye, and so I’ve asked the gallery if we could profile a former or current volunteer.

Tanya Frank graduated with my BSc in Biology in June and is starting her Bachelors of Education at SFU this semester.  She has held two positions with the gallery and she kindly answered questions about volunteering for the organization and what interested volunteers might expect.

I’ve held two positions at the Burnaby Art Gallery. I started off as a docent during the school year, which involved taking school groups through the various exhibits at the gallery and helping them think about and respond to the works they were looking at. I had a lot of experience working one-on-one with kids, but working with larger groups of students required a whole other skill set. I learned to change the way that I used language to help keep them focused, as well as how to draw in kids that were less inclined to participate in the activities.

I also started volunteering for the Burnaby Art Gallery’s summer art camps. I love volunteering for these camps because they are structured, educational, and the kids come away having really accomplished something amazing. I learned how to encourage the students individually in their projects, but also how to keep a class moving throughout an activity. I also discovered how rewarding it is to watch the students’ ability and confidence grow throughout the week!

I love volunteering for the Burnaby Art Gallery because the teachers really inspire kids to immerse themselves in art; this is especially true for the summer art camps because the kids spend the whole week working on ideas and developing really intriguing works of art. I love seeing them really get into their projects, as well as how proud they are when they can show their parents the amazing job that they have done. This is especially the case with kids that are shy or less confident about their skills; by the end of the week they have usually come out of their shell and have achieved some amazing pieces.

The Burnaby Art Gallery also has an amazing group of teachers, coordinators and support staff; you can tell that they genuinely love their jobs and love working with kids. They take the time to get to know their volunteers, and really go out of their way to make you feel welcome and a part of something big.

I wouldn’t exactly say that there were any challenges that I had to overcome, but volunteering at the Burnaby Art Gallery does provide a lot of opportunities to learn about how to work with children of all ages and all abilities. The instructors and coordinators are always ready to help you grow through situations that you may not have experienced before.

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Burnaby Art Gallery, I would give them a call or drop by for a visit. It is a beautiful, welcoming place to volunteer, and the work is incredibly rewarding!