LAURENANNICELLI of Guilford, a new volunteer in the Art Center office, is using her work as an opportunity to help the Center, but also to learn more about the arts and help clarify her thoughts about a career change.

When Annicelli knocked at the registration window last July to inquire about volunteer opportunities, it was the week before Craft Expo, so she got corralled into helping out as an "Artist Ally" and had a great time. But she was really looking for office work, and a few weeks later started compiling addresses of the thousands of Expo attendees. Not the most glamorous project, but one with a tangible result: her entries doubled the Center's email list for promotions.

Volunteering is the way Annicelli is giving back to the community, while at the same time testing her feelings about changing careers. With a successful background in life science sales, she has recently taken advantage of being between jobs to volunteer at a variety of non profit organizations, including the Guilford Free Library, the Pilot Pen Tournament, and the New Haven Jazz Festival. She has also begun a professional internship at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven.

"I tried to use the summer to gain experience in the arts arena, and to see if it's feasible for me to find a job," Annicelli says. She is unafraid to try new things, efficiently takes on tasks, and relishes the range of skills she's learning. Her experiences at the Art Center and other organizations have drawn her increasingly toward the arts, something she would not have known unless she had "got my feet wet," she says. "I'd like to transfer my sales background to a position in the arts in the greater New Haven area."

"I've always had an appreciation for the arts as an audience member and visitor," Annicelli continues. "Now I realize, 'who's to say I can't take an art class?' Talking to people, I realize that art is for everyone. You shouldn't discount it because you're a scientist or have a business background."