Volunteer Voices: building volunteer agency in the field of contemporary art in heritage
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Volunteers are a key but underexploited resource in advocating for and interpreting the contemporary artworks that are increasingly being commissioned for heritage places. Volunteers are not typically offered any training to help them talk about contemporary artworks with visitors or provided with much background information about the art or artists concerned. Nor is the organisation’s rationale for engaging with contemporary art well-understood by volunteers. While heritage organisations rely heavily on volunteers to provide high quality experiences for their visitors, in failing to adequately prepare volunteers, the full value of investment in a contemporary art project – time, money, organisational input, the creative energy of the artist – might not be properly realised. In this article, which draws on findings from a pilot volunteer training programme conducted in North East England in 2021–2022, we develop existing research into ‘serious leisure’ to suggest the value of building a community of practice through peer-learning that can offer a distinctive experience for volunteers, enhancing both their ownership and agency. We argue for the benefits of knowledge exchange across heritage sites and suggest that volunteers could be at the forefront in improving commissioning and exhibiting practices and visitor appreciation of contemporary art in heritage places.
Source: Journal of Heritage Tourism
Authors: Rebecca Farley, Venda Louise Pollock, Judith King, Kiki Claxton
Institutions: University of Newcastle Australia, Newcastle University
Language: English
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404607339