Jessica Harrington, a UWA student majoring in History as well as Applied Human Geography, has been collaborating with a community stalwart in Victoria Park to tell the story of the arts in the town.
Undertaking an internship through UWA’s McCusker Centre for Citizenship, Jessica is on track to contribute 100 hours over the course of the semester to help the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts (the Centre) celebrate 30 years of promoting local arts and culture.
Based at the Centre every Friday, Jessica has been able to work alongside Rowena Skinner, a life member of the Centre and its current treasurer and volunteer finance officer, tapping into her depth of knowledge while undertaking research and archival work.
“The Victoria Park Centre for the Arts has provided and continues to provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to enjoy, participate and create in the arts and cultural space,” said Ms Skinner, who is also the chairperson of the Town of Victoria Park’s Urban Forest Strategy, treasurer for the Victoria Park Community Garden and a board member of the Victoria Park Primary School.
“The Centre prides itself on supporting people with disabilities to achieve their potential. I have seen it grow from a small volunteer organisation in the 90s to a valued and vital space supported by the community and the local Council.
“I have enjoyed working with Jessica, she has a genuine passion and sense of teamwork which has been invaluable in organising and documenting our trove of photos.”
Jessica said that the internship was a great opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills she was developing as a history and geography student outside the classroom.
“I really enjoy working with Rowena and the Centre’s team, and the internship has allowed me to interact with individuals and groups in the local community, including the Friday knitting group, local and Aboriginal artists, and artists with disabilities.”
The Centre’s General Manager and Artistic Director, Jeremy Blank, said that the skills and enthusiasm of community-minded student interns had been a significant support for the Centre, providing an opportunity to advance projects that relied heavily on volunteers.
“We have been fortunate to work with two very positive and proactive students from UWA’s McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship program. Jessica’s enthusiasm, professional approach, attention to detail and organisation has greatly assisted us with on our history project,” Mr Blank said.
“It was important for the interns to work with our foundation volunteer members to identify key moments in the Centre’s history, and it’s been wonderful to see Jessica working closely with Rowena, bringing those moments to life again as they are prepared for publication for the 30-year history project.”