My voluntary work by Patricia Cook from Glasgow

I have been a volunteer with Glasgow Museums for some 10 years.  During this period I have volunteered in the Gallery of Modern Art as both a tour guide and on a much more regular basis with the Children’s Art Club.  The art club meets every Saturday morning and also holds workshops during school holidays for children age 3 through to 12.  Additional workshops are held for teenagers and adults on Sunday mornings.

It is great fun and the children are actively encouraged to look at the exhibits in the gallery.   Many of the morning workshops are based on items in the current collection and this stimulates lots of conversation and art work within the group.

Many of the children have been with this project since its inception 10 years ago and it is good to see how they have developed a keen interest in all forms of art and of course to see the little brothers and sisters coming to take part in our activities.  Many of the children show real promise and will hopefully be able to continue with an interest in art for many years to come.

Tours take place in the Gallery at weekends and numbers fluctuate depending on what exhibitions are taking place.  The Glasgow International Exhibition, with exhibits in several galleries is attracting lots of interest and encourages visitors to travel to some of the other galleries in the area.  An example at GOMA this weekend of the exhibits by Karla Black attracted 3,500 visitors on one day – a record for this venue.