Volunteers wanted

Over the past year, the professionalisation of the more than 30-year-old Ceramic Museum Goedewaagen has taken on increasingly concrete forms. Slowly but surely, the museum is becoming a 'museum company' with regular exhibitions. The museum is now an internationally valued knowledge centre in the field of industrially decorated ceramics, not to mention an educational and cultural centre that wants to convey ceramic processes in the broadest sense of the word to a very rapidly growing number of groups during museum lessons.

During the first 21 years of the museum's existence, it was the Royal Goedewaagen factory that 'staffed' the museum activities. To be able to operate independently, however, it is of great importance to separate the museum activities between the foundation and the Royal Goedewaagen-Gouda BV pottery factory. The museum has to look after its own people and is therefore looking for enthusiastic volunteers.

What kind of volunteers is the museum looking for?

  • Tour guides with a good command of the German language in view of the growing demand from groups from across the border for a tour of the museum and factory workshops;
  • enthusiastic ceramists who can give turning, casting and modelling demonstrations and who, possibly after special training, also want to demonstrate pipe making;
  • Ceramics lovers who want to help with the inventory of ornamental earthenware, tableware and ceramic auxiliary forms;
  • good storytellers who can tell the story of the Nieuw Buinen-Kanaalstreek region, i.e. the story of the peat industry and especially the glass industry, to groups of schoolchildren and adults who subscribe specifically to that programme;
  • All-round technicians for maintenance work, especially with knowledge of electricity;
  • hostesses and hosts who want to do light catering and serving work when receiving groups;
  • pottery-interested 'computer geeks' who would like to start filling in more than 150,000 digital documents of the museum on ADLIB registration cards;
  • experienced and, above all, hospitable employees who, once they know the story of the most varied products in the museum shop, know how to convey it to museum visitors with verve.

One of the people considered for the various tasks are retired people who are looking for an attractive and meaningful way to spend their leisure time. Former teachers in particular are welcome to work with the museum coordinator to give form and substance to a wide range of courses and lessons.

A minimum of two half-days a week is considered. The museum aims to form teams for each field of activity that can complement or alternate with each other. The intention is that all volunteers will receive free training in 20th century art and crafts. And what is certainly the case: the museum is not only an inspiring, but also an extremely pleasant place to work.