The Bowes Museum Blog

I have been visiting The Bowes Museum for as long as I can remember, seeing many different changes and exhibitions, yet I have always remained intrigued about how these came to be and how the Museum really works behind the scenes. So, when the chance to volunteer here came to me, I jumped at the opportunity and I have to say, I was not disappointed. As a young volunteer, I have been able to see a new perspective on the Museum and have gained valuable insight into careers in the Museum and just being able to contribute to this fascinating place has been very rewarding.

Week 1 (26th July):  

The first week of the program commenced with a reintroduction to the other young volunteers and to Jess, the Co-production Volunteer Manager, who then explained the Museum’s values to us. This was then followed by a talk from the Museum’s Executive Director, Hannah Fox, about how she came to the Museum and her career prior to that. We then heard Eleanor, Co-Production Curator, talk about her pathway and the responsibilities that accompany her job. Both talks were thoroughly captivating as both their journeys were starkly different and showed us how many ways into the Museum from all walks of life there are. 

 After this, we learned about the Museum’s branding and marketing, then tasked with applying our new knowledge on designing our own young volunteers lanyard, discussing colour scheme, the use of symbols and overall uniqueness, leading into lunch.  

Shortly after lunch had finished, we met the teams we would be working with over the coming weeks. I joined the Collections team as it would provide a change from what I usually do in volunteering and is one of the things that originally drew me to the Museum. After meeting the team, we discussed the plan for the summer, an exciting new exhibition in room 31, going through the initial plan. This was very intriguing as we saw the planning stages of an exhibition and how much contemplation on its layout, theme, what would feature in the exhibit and how it would be maintained goes into each of these well-crafted exhibits. Once we received our plan, we had a short tour of the vaults to give us an idea of how objects are stored and what is required to maintain them. The enthusiasm they displayed about this new space was very motivating and excited us for the weeks to come. 

On returning from our tour, we received bourbons and a debrief from Jess before departing from our first week. 

Week 2 (2nd August): 

I unfortunately couldn’t make it to the second week of the program but progress on room 31 continued with the layout of the room being mostly completed. 

Week 3 (9th August): 

On my return in week 3, we began the day with a talk from Catherine, from the productions team, who gave us an overview of her career pathway involving apprenticeships. Personally, I found this quite interesting as apprenticeships are often overlooked and remain quite unknown and it was useful as an option to consider.  

Shortly after, we rejoined the Collections team to review some objects for room 31, specifically dolls’ houses and toys. This involved taking dimensions and doing quality checks to ensure no woodworm was present or if there was any damage to the items. This task required accuracy, as the dimensions we took would be crucial to the size of the cases that would house the items, so was carried out with care and intricacy.  

We then once again returned to our debrief accompanied by refreshments, completing the first half of the program. 

Week 4 (16th August): 

I couldn’t be present for the fourth week, however progress continued as objects began to be moved into room 31. 

Week 5 (23rd August): 

On arrival on the penultimate week, we received a talk from Connor, from the learning team, who is relatively new to the Museum about how he got into it and his journey prior. Next, we had a feedback session on our time as young volunteers. This involved contemplating statements about our time here and answering them in our own opinions.  

Then, once again we rejoined the Collections team for our new tasks. As room 31 begins to take shape, more items within need cleaning so the task of the day was cleaning helmets from Streatlam Castle. We had to incorporate numerous techniques into the cleaning to make these helmets fit for display. We started with a hog hair brush and a Museum hoover, removing the majority of the dust from the wooden components then switching to a horse hair brush to rid the finer details and gilding of dust. These techniques required a lot of care so that no damage was caused to the items. The task also highlighted more of the inner workings of the Museum and the proficiency required to handle them. 

As always, week 5 concluded with refreshments and our debrief. 

Week 6 (30th August): 

For the final week, I arrived to our brief from Jess swiftly followed by our final tasks as a part of the Collections team. As with the previous week, our tasks involved cleaning, this time with some of the dolls’ houses we had been assessing a few weeks ago. Most of the techniques remained the same as with the helmets. However, some new ones had to be incorporated due to the more diverse range of materials used, including cleaning the glass panes in the windows using an acid-free soap solution on a swab to wash them and a cloth to dry them off. After being part of the Collections team for the program, I am very excited to see the exhibit open to the public as its intuitive concept will provide the public with a new image of the Museum. 

Once lunch had concluded, Simon, COO and one of the directors, gave us a talk about his life and the fascinating way he came to be at the Museum; reflecting on how following your passions and doing what you enjoy will help you pave your future. Next, we reflected on our time at the Museum and looked at all the skills we accumulated having volunteered here and how to input these into a CV. To conclude the program, we had a small celebration featuring cakes, photos and ‘musical chairs’ wrapping up the incredible time I have had here. 

Final Thoughts

I have been very fortunate to have had this opportunity, and I cannot recommend volunteering here nearly enough. In the short time I have been here, I have been able to deepen my understanding of the Museum, contribute to the preservation of its rich history and appreciate a side to the Museum you wouldn’t usually see.  

Getting to know the Museum’s team has also been incredible. The advice and stories they have shared have been consistently interesting and inspiring. I was honored to be a part of the Museum’s Collections team, whether that be in the bonds I have created as a part of it or through the countless skills I have been taught, their dedication to their craft has been simply awe-inspiring. I cannot wait to see the culmination of their work in the new exhibit.  I am also particularly grateful to Jess, who expertly planned the program to be useful and insightful into how the different aspects of the Museum work and has created a very positive and warm atmosphere throughout. 

This program has been invaluable in discovering new pathways I can take in the future and has affirmed my childhood desire so see the other aspects of the Museum, away from the public eye. I complete this program feeling fulfilled and I am incredibly excited to volunteer here in the future.