The ‘Unfolding the Quilts’ Volunteer Programme
Published: Thursday, 26th May 2011 06:44 AM
The ‘Unfolding the Quilts’ project involves a team of up to 80 volunteers at one time. By the end of 2010 over 180 had taken part in the programme, with some involved since the Museum and Gallery opened in 2008 and others ‘passing through’ the programme. The volunteers are involved in a huge variety of work in addition to stewarding. Volunteers make ‘handling samples’ so that visitors can examine how something is made without touching the historic textiles, they help with putting up and taking down exhibitions, they demonstrate quilting techniques in the galleries, they support course leaders in delivering children’s workshops, they operate the library and conduct research into the collections and they help with administrative and marketing work.
Through their involvement in the project our volunteers have gained in many ways: through learning about the Collection and visiting exhibitions, through learning new skills and practicing their own sewing skills by making items in support of exhibitions, through making new friends, through gaining work experience and, for some, using their new skills and confidence to move into employment.
Meg Bagnall began stewarding at the Museum and Gallery in December 2008. Meg says “There is a dual enjoyment in being a gallery steward – sometimes the visitors have a great deal more knowledge than I have and teach me a lot; on the other hand many visitors are not familiar with quilting and so this leads to informal teaching and discussions about the pieces on show.
Gradually over the last two years I have become more involved and now work once or twice a week in the gallery as a steward and in the Education Room with Community Quilters. I have made handling samples for the last two exhibitions and made them with one side open so the visitors could see how the original was constructed.”
For further details about the Museum’s volunteer programme and how you could get involved visit www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/about-us/volunteer