Tag: Volunteer

Bryony Rose, History of Art at Oxford Brookes University, volunteer with the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History in 2021.

During the final semester of my third (final) year at Oxford Brookes, studying History of Art, I undertook a month’s worth of volunteering for Peter and Tom at the OCMCH. It had been something that I was keen to carry out ever since I visited the Centre at Brookes’ Harcourt Hill Campus, during a second year module, looking at gallery curation.

I was intrigued by the different collections housed and wanted to broaden my knowledge of how these collections were run, stored, looked after and used by research fellows and groups. After months of email correspondence, and after the opportunity was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t until my final few weeks of university that I got the chance to begin my placement.

My role over the four weeks was to produce condition reports for two collections housed at the OCMCH: The Methodist Church House Collection and the Bletchley Park College/Lady Spencer Churchill College Collection. My job was to record any damage to the artworks and their frames. It was a very intricate procedure, and I had to ensure I handled these pieces carefully as many were very delicate. The overall experience in handling these goods and looking intently for any damage was priceless – I consider myself extremely lucky as I doubt any other art institution would give this role so freely to a volunteer to carry out. As well as helping out Peter and Tom, I’m excited to have added another ‘string to my bow’ of experience in the art historical field to further aid me in finding a career in this sector following my graduation this summer.

I really enjoyed my volunteering and it was a shame to begin the placement so late into the university term. I would urge anyone to seek out a volunteering placement. Not only does it widen your knowledge of a particular field of work, the opportunity to connect with new people is invaluable.