One would be hard pushed to find a harder working set of individuals outside of the legion of volunteers and students whose commitment, talent and dedication, keep The Model ticking over, year round. The Model was recently lucky enough to play host to three Italian students who spent a fortnight of their Erasmus year in Sligo. The students: Martina Pensato, Anna Biferale and Desire Spigali came from Ladispoli, Lazlo, Italy to Ireland to gain experience in the tourism industry and improve their English. During their work experience, the girls learnt the inside business of what it takes to run a contemporary arts centre like The Model. Think Andy, Anne Hathaway’s much harassed character in ‘The Devil wears Prada’ and you’ve got the gist. Just kidding!
In the course of their stay, the student’s invigilated exhibitions, assisted at the front desk and even helped out in the marketing department, where their tech savvy skills were put to good use. Martina Pensato found this exposure to the inner workings of the art world the most valuable aspect of her experience in The Model: ‘I liked the work at the Model because I like to work with art,’ said Martina, ‘We were happy that we choose to work in The Model because we learned that a museum is not just a destination for a day trip, it has it’s own culture that is a way of life.’
Where Martina enjoyed the work, Anna Biferale was preferred the social aspect that being part of The Model entails. ‘The people of The Model are very kind. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the staff.’ Desire Spigali agreed. ‘The staff of The Model have made the two weeks of our Erasmus that we have spent in Sligo worth our while.’ The students also managed to teach us a thing or two. Several members of The Model staff are now fluent in multiple Italian curse words, which will come in handy, should we are to ever find ourselves offended in Italy.
The Model would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Martina Pensato, Anna Biferale and Desire Spigali for their hard work. We wish you the best of luck in your future!