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Thursday, September 6, 2001
For art's sake
Volunteers take groups on tours and use their talent to help out organizations
By Brendan Walsh
Caller-Times

George Tuley/Caller-Times

Autumn Caro paints the tower of a set for ‘Into the Woods’ at the Harbor Playhouse. The organization, like many other fine arts institutions around the Coastal Bend, is looking to increase its volunteer roster for the fall season.

After five years of being a docent at the Art Museum of South Texas - a volunteer position that involves taking roups on educational tours of the museum and its exhibits - Dianne Berman still gets stumped by some of the questions she gets asked. And most of them come from fifth-graders.
   "Why did the artist paint red there? Why is the sky so gray? Mostly it's questions like that," explained Berman.
   Occasionally, though, she finds herself trying to explain surrealism to a group of youngsters who want to know, for example, why there's a figure immersed in fire. In response, she tries to liken the artist's vision to something the kids can relate to - a nightmare, for example.
   Learn from them
   "The thing is, you want the kids to stump you. If I knew all the answers it wouldn't be interesting for me either," Berman said. "Many times I actually learn something from them. I see little geniuses all the time - they have such a thirst for learning."
   There's also the added bonuses of meeting the featured artists and the opportunity to immerse herself in the art world, she said.
   Berman doesn't have a degree in art and hardly considers herself an expert. Before every exhibit at the museum opens, she and the other docents attend a three- to nine-hour class about the exhibition they'll be taking groups through. Berman describes it as a "college-level education," and says she enjoys the classes almost as much as being a docent.
   Fine arts institutions throughout the Coastal Bend are always looking to beef up their volunteer lists at the beginning of the fall season. Besides getting a free pass into heaven, volunteers also get first peek at exhibits, attend performances for free, get to meet professional artists and the chance to meet people from all walks of life, people with whom they may otherwise never have met. And, of course, they get the satisfaction of knowing they're contributing to the cultural landscape of their community.

How you can help

Harbor Playhouse, 882-5500, Set builders, costume designers
Art Museum of South Texas, 825-3504, Docents, helping at community events, helping at after-school programs
Art Center of Corpus Christi, 884-6406, Receptionists, gift shop workers, general work for exhibits
Art Center for the Islands, (361) 749-7334, Mailings, staffing the art center, helping with First Friday receptions
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, 883-2862, Education, working in the library, gift shop
Multicultural Center in Heritage Park, 883-0639, tour guides, answering phones, teachers
Rockport Center for the Arts, (361) 729-5519, Docents, help in education department, exhibit installation
Cathedral Concert Series, 888-7444, Mailings, ushers, stage and reception set-up and takedown, answering phones
Corpus Christi Symphony, 991-0910, Help with fundraising, answering phones
Ballet Nacional, 854-6528, Creating posters, stage hands, secretarial work
Corpus Christi Ballet, 882-4588, Organizing committees, office work.

   Volunteering at Ballet Nacional is sometimes a family affair. Artistic director Ricardo Villa is joined by his wife Van, who designs costumes, and his 16-year-old son Sebiastian, who helps out backstage. "We're a mom-and-pop operation with hundreds of volunteers," Villa said. His organization is always on the lookout for people to help with publicity, make costumes, build sets - really anything that the organization does.
   Family affair
   Volunteering is also a family affair at the Harbor Playhouse, said Martha Gilmore, who volunteers in the costume loft. "A lot of people who (volunteer) do this as a family - it's very, very common," Gilmore said. "It's so good for kids and builds their self-confidence."
   Gilmore also recognizes the fringe benefits of volunteering. Her son Shay acted and volunteered at the theater when he was a youth, and used that experience to get into law school at the University of Texas. He wrote his law-school application about opening night jitters when he first acted at the Playhouse.
   Harbor Playhouse executive director Pam Earley estimates 85 percent of production work is done by volunteers. Like volunteering at the museum, there is a wide range of options at the playhouse.

George Tuley/Caller-Times

Rainbo Klein, volunteer at the Harbor Playhouse, works on a witch’s gown. The playhouse is also looking for actors, ushers and concession workers for the fall season.

   The playhouse needs actors, technicians, designers, ushers, concession workers, house managers, props people, set builders, people to stuff envelopes - "There really is not any place we don't use volunteers," Earley said.
   Over 300 volunteers, ranging in age from 6 to 82, helped out at the Harbor Playhouse last season.
   "You meet people you normally wouldn't come into contact with," Earley said. "Teachers, lawyers, police officers, stay-at-home moms, people with lots of money and people with no money - they all volunteer at the playhouse."


Contact Brendan Walsh at 886-3763 or walshb@caller.com

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