The week of 9-11 Camp was so tough on Tiffany, my wonderful
boss, and I, that I couldn’t even bring myself to blog about it right after it
came to an end. We had two great area artists teaching the camp’s two sections:
Michelle Alison and Clayton Hurt. Michelle’s bubbly personality and natural
enthusiasm were balanced well by Clayton’s dry humor and small smiles. The
projects were wonderful – inspired by works like Nancy Graves’ Wheelabout from 1985 to the photographs
of history museum dioramas by Hiroshi Sugimoto. The projects and final show
were fantastic, but getting there was to say the least, like herding cats.
Volunteers and interns can be wonderful resources for
museums, providing firstly FREE LABOR, and secondly enthusiasm, passion, and
helpfulness where gaps are found in the more permanent staff. I was the only
paid intern in the education department, and consequently, we relied on young
(and some older) volunteers to staff the camp as counselors’ assistants,
counselors, and artist assistants. Up until this week, every set of volunteers
we had were extremely helpful and able to self-direct. This weeks volunteers
were more introverted and less interested in helping out without explicit
direction. The whole week could be described in one word, QUIET. Tiffany and I
had to step into the camp settings every day in order to help the artists
maintain order with the energetic, often very hyper 9-11 year olds. Some
volunteers realized that teaching and museum education were not for them. While
this felt frustrating to Tiffany, the artists, and myself, it was a good
opportunity for the volunteers to test out possible careers. Many of them were
also in high school, so understandably were still trying to figure out their
own identities.
I am not in any way saying that volunteers are unhelpful or
useless – we need them! They are so great and I am so thankful for all of the
volunteers who came out to make art camp such a success. I just struggle with
the dichotomy of today’s teens and young people trying to cram their resumes
full of volunteer positions/un-paid internships to the point that they apply to
everything – even positions (like these) that don’t match up with their
interests. I’m sure each of these perfectly nice young volunteers might have
thrived better in an environment more suited to their interests, and I hope
they find that place in the future. As for me? I’m hoping that next year
Tiffany will not have a death week like that one was for us this year.
Miranda,
ReplyDeleteI think your post touches on such an important part of working in museums. I have always been told (especially once I got into college and grad school) that the best way to a. gain experience in your chosen field and b. meet people in that chosen field is to volunteer and take internships. This very internship we all undertook this summer is an expression of that! And I think there is value in using my own free time to "test out" my desire to work in this field and make connections that might better enable getting a job in this field through volunteering and interning.
Like you mentioned, though, the problem is that when a volunteer isn't particularly well-suited for working in this field, or with the populations they've been placed with, that creates a problem not just for the volunteer or intern, but for the staff. Volunteers are supposed to be helpful! That's why they're there! And it can be incredibly frustrating when they don't provide the support they were supposed to be there to provide. On the flip side of that, how much can/should we really expect from people who aren't being paid to be there? It's a difficult situation with no good answer.
I am sorry that your experience with this last camp was tainted as a result - that age group can be REALLY fun, but is also very challenging once things dissolve into pandemonium. It requires leaders with strong personalities and a firm but fun hand. I am sure y'all did great despite circumstances, and I hope, at very least, you were able to spend some time resting your feet over the weekend!
Miranda,
ReplyDeleteI think your post touches on such an important part of working in museums. I have always been told (especially once I got into college and grad school) that the best way to a. gain experience in your chosen field and b. meet people in that chosen field is to volunteer and take internships. This very internship we all undertook this summer is an expression of that! And I think there is value in using my own free time to "test out" my desire to work in this field and make connections that might better enable getting a job in this field through volunteering and interning.
Like you mentioned, though, the problem is that when a volunteer isn't particularly well-suited for working in this field, or with the populations they've been placed with, that creates a problem not just for the volunteer or intern, but for the staff. Volunteers are supposed to be helpful! That's why they're there! And it can be incredibly frustrating when they don't provide the support they were supposed to be there to provide. On the flip side of that, how much can/should we really expect from people who aren't being paid to be there? It's a difficult situation with no good answer.
I am sorry that your experience with this last camp was tainted as a result - that age group can be REALLY fun, but is also very challenging once things dissolve into pandemonium. It requires leaders with strong personalities and a firm but fun hand. I am sure y'all did great despite circumstances, and I hope, at very least, you were able to spend some time resting your feet over the weekend!
Having and working with volunteers is definitely a double-edged sword situation!! They can be absolutely wonderful or terrible! Every museum faces this issue, and there is no solid answer, like Alli said, to each problem you have with them. Its an case-by-case basis because you never know what you'll get with volunteers.
ReplyDeleteMiranda, we had a similar issue with a volunteer at Storytime. He just didn't have the personality or enthusiasm for the tasks he was given. He didn't last long and soon found something to fill his spare time during the summer. However, our two other volunteers were fantastic and had no problems stepping in to help families attending the program. You just never know what you are going to get! Even with volunteers you have known for a long time and have a solid record can pull some out-of-the-blue stunt!
Volunteers are another interesting facet of the museum field that can be hard to tackle. We need them, but its either a blessing or a curse.