‘The Talent of the Person Beside You’ is an exhibition featuring the work of Moray Art Centre’s volunteers, and coincides with the 4 year anniversary of the opening of Moray Art Centre, on 21 July 2007. The exhibition runs from Thursday 21 July until Sunday 7 August 2011.

The 17 exhibiting volunteers, who all give up their spare time to work at the Centre are either art school graduates, practicing artists, have participated in one of many of the art workshops available at the Moray Art Centre or are budding amateur artists. The artwork on display is of a very high standard and includes paintings, drawings, photography, digital media and pottery. The age range of the participating volunteers ranges from17 – 70!

Recent Graduate of Grays School of Art Steffie Dawn said about volunteering at the Moray Art Centre “ Moray Art Centre provides a great haven for not only art school graduates like myself but to anyone with a interest in the arts. There is so much to get involved with and always new opportunities to learn and meet new people. I especially like the idea that I have somewhere to go to just talk freely about art and my own practice with like mined people”

Peter Cruickshank another volunteer said, “This exhibition was a chance to walk the art path I had diverged from some twenty years ago as a student. With encouragement from the Moray Art Centre team, skills honed at both The Moray College and Grays School of Art was dusted off and my artistic fire reignited.”

Since the public opening of Moray Art Centre the committed volunteer team has grown exponentially – offering people who are out of work, or desire to learn new skills and re-tool for new employment, a place to find experience, a wide spectrum of new skills, motivation and a passion for creativity. The Director, Randy Klinger, speaks of Moray Art Centre as a “ Community of Creativity”, daring anyone who visits not to become inspired to find and achieve in their own fertile imaginations and hidden talents.

Voluntary Action Fund has funded the Volunteer Programme at Moray Art Centre since Dec 2009 and has committed to supporting the Programme for another 6 months. This support has allowed the organisation to fund this exhibition as well as volunteer training and support. Moray Art Centre has set itself a mission: to become a centre of excellence in recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers and preparing people not only for future employment, but to offer them new models of career and life-choices – perhaps career paths that they would never have seen before or ever considered possible for themselves.

Moray Art Centre’s Volunteer Co-ordinator , who manages the 50 current volunteers said “Volunteers play a crucial role in Moray Art Centre’s work and are treated as important members of the team. In return for sharing their time, they have new experiences and challenges, meet new people, and get involved in exciting activities within Moray Art Centre.”

Moray Arts Centre was awarded Organisation of the Year by Volunteer Centre Moray in recognition for the development of the volunteering programme in 2010, the support and training available, and the support of the voluntary sector through hosting and organising of events.

‘The Talent of the Person Beside You’ exhibition runs from the Thursday 21 July until Sunday 7 August 2011. (Moray Art Centre Summer opening hours: Tues – Fri 10 – 5pm, Sat 10 – 4pm and Sun 1 – 5pm )

Source: Moray Art Centre