Ruby Whitehouse: My Work Experience at the Corn Hall 2019

Ruby Whitehouse: My Work Experience at the Corn Hall 2019

 

This July I have completed a week of work experience at the Corn Hall, an organisation I chose because of my interest in art and media. I was surprised by the variety of tasks I was set and the amount of organisation, planning and people behind each event and exhibition – it was a very busy yet enjoyable week.

After a brief overview of the week on the first day, we helped to run the ‘Time with Friends’ dementia cafe that is held here in the theatre once a month, which involved playing games and a session of tai chi. Admittedly, this was not what I was expecting from my work experience but was nonetheless enjoyable, and it was great to be able to spend time with members of the local community. In the afternoon, we were given an induction into the workings of the box office – it was interesting to see behind the scenes and I enjoyed working with members of the public.

On Tuesday, we were introduced to CANVA, which we used to design flyers for upcoming events. This was a valuable experience because I was able to build upon my existing graphic design skills whilst trying out new software, and it made me consider my target audience more carefully when designing, as each event appealed to very different demographic. I continued with the design work throughout the week and it was nice to be able to dip in and out of tasks when inspiration struck – nothing was stressful but I was not once bored and enjoyed having my own projects to complete. 

In preparation for the opening of the Splash of Colour on Thursday, I was in the gallery all day on Wednesday helping to hang the artwork. The exhibition included pieces by the artists John Golding and Albert Irvin and as an art student, I found the experience especially exciting because opportunities to experience art this closely are rare. It was definitely the most challenging day as it involved a lot of heavy lifting and was quite time-consuming, however I learnt a lot of new DIY skills and it was rewarding to see the empty gallery transformed into a vibrant exhibition.

During the second half of the week I learnt about digital marketing, creating and scheduling Facebook events and discussing how different demographics can be reached. Although I use social media, I have never used it to market or advertise and learning to do so was a valuable experience which will definitely help me in future employment.

My work experience placement at the Corn Hall has been amazing, and I have come away with so many skills that will not only help me at university and in future employment, but in my current studies. I have been given a valuable insight into the arts industry and I would like to thank all of the staff and volunteers at the Corn Hall for all of the support they have given me, and for all of the time and thought that was put into organising my week here.