To keep Craven Arts House open to the public, we rely on our members and volunteers to steward in the building.
The role of a volunteer at Craven Arts House
Our volunteers give a warm and friendly welcome to people visiting Craven Arts House, they ensure the public have a positive experience of art and culture, and encourage them to engage with Craven Arts House in the future.
Here's an overview of the tasks involved
Welcoming Visitors to the Building
Signing them in and showing or signposing them to the appropriate space: room, hall, exhibition spaces, or artists’ studios.
Stewarding Exhibitions
Introduce visitors to the current exhibition and tell them about the works that are on display and the artists who created them. Notes are provided.
Promote our activities
Ask visitors how they heard about Craven Arts House and encourage them to sign up to our newsletter and/or follow us on social media
Retail
Take payments (cash or card) for artworks from the exhibition, merchandise, gifts from the gallery. Document the sales in the ledger/book.
Admin Support
Support basic administration tasks – monitoring visitor numbers, taking messages, providing application forms for volunteering and booking rooms.
We aim to have 2 volunteer stewards working together at each session, for safety and to ensure volunteering at craven arts house is both sociable and fun.
A volunteering session will last 2.5 hours, either morning 11am–1.30pm or afternoon 1.30pm–4.00pm. In future we aim to be able to open the building with volunteer support from Monday to Sunday.
Selecting the sessions that fit your schedule is easy via the Sign Up app.
volunteer stories
Lesley Woodhouse
"Having been a member of Craven Arts since its’ earliest days, I have regularly volunteered to ‘do’ door duty at the various exhibitions including at the very first which was held in an undecorated, unheated, unlit side room in Skipton Town Hall where, despite its’ shortcomings, saw visitors and some sales.
How things have changed! Craven Arts now has a permanent home in a beautifully adapted building in Skipton where, along with regular art exhibitions, there is a hive of activity with artists in residence happy to talk about their work and workshops offering a variety of art related activities.
Helping out by stewarding at the various exhibitions is not arduous. It is a pleasure to meet and greet visitors and talk to them about what’s going on. There is also the vicarious pleasure of making a sale for one of the artists. I also get some downtime to do some of my own work inspired by what’s around me along with a bit of networking (gossip) with whoever may be around that day.
Being an artist is more than just creating art. It is being part of an art community and playing an active role in this community has allowed me this".
Bridget March
"I regularly volunteer as an assistant at Craven Arts House, where I enjoy welcoming both new and returning visitors. Many individuals who come to explore our exhibitions have their own stories to share. Some have previously acquired artworks from local artists, while others are simply enjoying a day out in Skipton and some bring memories.
I also enjoy learning about the artists and the artworks on display, eager to share insights with visitors who seek information. When I don’t have all the answers, I can direct them to our website for further details. Since there are usually two volunteers per shift, I have the opportunity to explore the exhibitions and expand my knowledge of North Yorkshire's artists.
Craven Arts House is a vibrant and uplifting place to spend a few hours volunteering, and I truly appreciate being part of, and perhaps contributing to, Skipton's rich and diverse cultural scene".
