Every year, 1 – 7 June is Volunteers’ Week – a celebration of the contribution that volunteers make across the UK. At Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums (AAGM), we want to give our volunteers more than just a week so over the month of June we will be regularly sharing blogs written by some of our volunteers highlighting some of the incredible work that they do!
Today’s guest blog is by Ashwini Rao (Ajna) who started volunteering with us when she was a student at University of Aberdeen.
Putting the time, effort, and energy into improving the spaces that we as a community flock to has been rewarding. In my time as volunteer for Aberdeen Archives Gallery & Museums (AAGM), I have had the opportunity to embark on many different projects and assist with a diverse variety of initiatives under the AAGM umbrella. There are many examples that I could list, chief among them the Gallery Late: Medieval Mayhem and the Reframing the Collection exhibition, but I have found each volunteering experience at Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums to be deeply enriching and fulfilling.
Our voices are heard, not just as volunteers, but as valued members of the Aberdeen Archives Gallery & Museums community and the public at large. This is evidenced by the fact that many of us can not only lend a hand to ongoing projects and programmes, but also forge entirely new ones that are organised and led by the volunteers themselves.
Using myself as an example, I approached AAGM asking to host an event called DND @ AAG (Dungeons and Dragons at Aberdeen Art Gallery): four DND one-shots inspired by the city of Aberdeen, and the many collections that are catalogued and maintained by AAGM. The main objective of this event was to try and target a younger and more diverse demographic to take an active interest in the collections as well as the institutions that display them.
Combining one of my most beloved hobbies with the rich and storied collections of AAGM was something that I never thought I could do in my wildest dreams, and at its conception, it was a passing idea at best. But due to the wonderful and open-minded people that work at AAGM, I felt safe enough to bring up the idea and have it be taken seriously. Their commitment to not only maintaining and upholding the quality of the spaces that we share, but also to truly work on every facet of diversity in all their endeavours makes me endlessly happy that I am allowed to lend my efforts for the betterment this organisation. I love what I do in collaboration with AAGM, and what I do is my best to nurture a community that I adore.
All of this to say, I have been incredibly lucky to be involved in some amazing projects that have tried to make a difference to the Aberdeen community, and I believe that I am not alone in this sentiment. It has been a privilege to work with a lot of interesting and accomplished people, and I hope to hold that privilege for as long as I can!
Are you interested in getting involved? Check out our Volunteering and Placements page, or contact us to be kept up to date with our latest volunteer opportunities.
