NEWS

A Volunteers Perspective

Hi, my name is Diana Barbu and the Ashburton Art Gallery has been my second home for close to 10 years now. I joined the Jub Jub Club in early 2009 and was a regular member up until 2014 when I transitioned to volunteering as an assistant for the fortnightly sessions. As a member, I loved visiting the gallery, and having the hands-on activities to go alongside the exhibitions not only helped to fuel my artsy side but also to better understand and appreciate the artworks and artists on display. What I particularly enjoyed about my time as a member was the huge variety of different mediums that I gained experience with- every session would be something completely different with a new skill to try out and a crazy craft to take home at the end.

I chose to go into volunteering for the club as I wanted to give back to the gallery as thanks and help the program continue on for other creative little minds for years to come. As part of this role, I have also helped run various school-holiday programs as well as helping with Children’s day the last few years, where we ran craft activity tables for the kids such as paper-plate masks, Mother’s Day cards and face painting.

At the beginning of 2018 I changed after-school jobs which meant I was no longer available on Sundays for the Jub Jub Club. Still wanting to remain a part of the AGG family, I switched to Front of House volunteer; being the greeting face for our visitors and informing them on our current artworks, artists and events. I am really enjoying this role interacting with so many different people from the community and gaining insight into the different inner-workings of an art gallery- all while doing my part to give back to the AAG clan. This gallery has been greatly shaped and shifted over my time here, constantly moving forward with technology and modern times, and I am very glad to be here to witness the new heights it will reach in the future.