We spoke with Catherine Ablard, and MA History of Art student, about her wonderful experience as an Art Appreciation Volunteer with Age UK Kensington & Chelsea.
Would you be able to introduce yourself?
My name is Catherine and I am studying for my MA in the History of Art. After a few years out of higher education (teaching abroad and working in art galleries), I decided to pursue a Masters in Art History, because art has always been my real passion.
What type of volunteering have you been doing?
I was looking for volunteering opportunities when I first started at UCL and I saw the Art Appreciation Volunteer role with Age UK Kensington & Chelsea. I thought that it would be great because art is my passion, and public-facing scholarship has always been close to my heart. I submitted an application and then just had a quick chat with Age UK about what I'd want to do. They were exceptionally excited to have me on board and the induction process was very smooth. It's been really fulfilling to do and I love it so much.
What does the average volunteering session involve for you?
I run Art Appreciation sessions where I tend to talk for about an hour and encourage discussions as well. Each week, I usually talk about an artist, their background, and then analyse some of their artworks. I also like to do a fun game at the end where we guess how much an artwork went at auction. I only really do that if it's a ridiculous amount of money, which it often is! Then I’ll usually end the sessions by talking about the legacy and impact of the artist. Sometimes I might look at a genre rather than an artist, such as talking about landscapes or cabinets of curiosities for example.
All the sessions have been online, so we haven’t actually met face to face. I’ve been trying to get that going, and I’m actually meeting them in a couple of weeks to go and visit the V&A together. I’m really looking forward to that because I love them so much but I've never met them in real life. I'm sure some of them have met before from other classes at Age UK but I don't think all of us have ever been together at once, so I'm really excited.
Have you found volunteering manageable alongside university?
Sometimes the preparation for each session can be challenging to try and to fit around my schedule. I tend to prepare by writing out everything that I want to discuss as to not miss anything important, and that can take time. Sometimes I might try and tie a session into something I'm studying at university, so I can kind of hit two birds with one stone and that’s worked well! Also, if I've had a deadline fall on the day I should be doing the session with them, I will just apologise to them and not do a session that week or try and reschedule. They’re quite flexible and really understanding.
What attracted you to this opportunity?
The aim of doing this is not simply to teach art history, but also to reinforce that the participants can still learn and add value to the community by engaging in academic debates. I believe that you can’t know a subject until you teach it, and having the great opportunity to discuss art with like-minded people is something really special. I also wanted to get some more experience with public speaking and giving presentations. I'm interested in working in museums in the future, and I think this will really help with being able to talk to the public and lead discussions about art.
Has there been a particular highlight of your volunteering experience?
It's all so lovely, I can’t really think of just one highlight! I’ve always really loved it when I am able to encourage them to talk because their wealth of knowledge is so incredible. I think they teach me more than I teach them! They’re able to come up with some fun facts about the artists that I wouldn't be able to find on my own. I think going to the V&A with them will be a highlight too.
Have there been any challenges that you have encountered throughout your volunteering?
I think that balancing volunteering with studies has been challenging, but I have been able to stay organised and on top of things. It definitely helps that I love it so much and really enjoy preparing the presentations and delivering them. Sometimes when I'm actually on the call, there can also be technical problems. But they’re all just so lovely that they make me feel better if there is ever a problem. When there are technical problems, I know there's nothing to do except for try my best to make it work.
Would you recommend volunteering to other people?
100%! I've been trying to get so many people to do it. The aim of these sessions is not to teach art history but to reinforce in each member of my group that age is not a barrier to learning, and that their opinions have value in an academic debate.
Volunteering in this capacity at Age UK has fortified my view that education is not only about content, but about inspiring a life-long love of learning. Whether the student is 17 or 70, a teacher’s role is as much about providing for the educational growth of the student as selecting the right curriculum and didactic method that ensures the dignity of every pupil. I believe that most people can generate impact in the community by volunteering in this way. In fact, I told my partner about this and he wanted to know if he could do it for Ancient History, which he is studying. He now runs a session for Ancient History each week, which Age UK never did before. So that's really great because now I feel like I was able to encourage volunteering to him too! He loves it so much and it's really nice because we have one or two members in our class that overlap as well.
One of my friends has just started volunteering too, helping terminally ill people with looking after their pets. She said that I had inspired her to do it and I think that's so fantastic. It’s lovely that me having gone for this opportunity has benefited in all these ways too. So I'd definitely recommend it to everyone!
Thank you so much to Catherine for sharing her experience. If you would like to volunteer with Age UK Kensington & Chelsea, you can check out all of their current opportunities here!