In need of some great DIY activities for the kids this summer?
Take inspiration from our 2014 host The Georgia Museum of Art’s Slow Art Family Day!
– Rachel & Karen
Author Archives: Mr. Turtle
Reflections from Hosts: The Courtauld Gallery
Looking at Claude Monet’s ‘Antibes’ during Slow Art Day (via The Courtauld Gallery blog)
Our 2014 host, Kirti Upadhaya, at The Courtauld Gallery in London, shares her reflections from the April 12th event:
The experience of both participating and hosting the Slow Art Day was very rewarding as it allowed me to spend time engaging with five beautiful paintings while also allowing me to consider the nature of this engagement.
Slow Art Day reinforces the importance of direct engagement with a work of art. Living in a world where information is readily available at the press of a button, I often forget that sometimes, the simplest way to access art is to build a relationship with it, to just look at it for a little longer.
Read more about Upadhaya’s and others’ experiences at Slow Art Day on the Courtauld Gallery’s blog here.
– Karen
Reflections from Hosts: Art Gallery of Algoma
Christine Campana from the Art Gallery of Algoma wrote a great summary of her Slow Art Day experience from just over a month ago:
Walking through the Art Gallery of Algoma during Slow Art Day leisurely examining 5 pieces of art was a worthwhile experience; not only was I given the chance to really pay attention to aspects of the works that I had previously not taken the time to truly appreciate, but the experience allowed me to converse with others and discover their interpretations.
The Art Gallery of Algoma put together a handout with photographs and descriptions of the pieces chosen. The pieces were picked by 5 different locals, ranging from artists, to art advocates, to novices, who each discovered something new by engaging with the pieces for longer periods of time than they normally would have.
Regarding the Tom Benner fibreglass, paint, leather, and mixed media piece titled “African Wild Asses,” Teddy Syrette explained in his description that he chose the piece because “it is almost like it’s a grouping of animals, they’re trying to get some place better . . .They’re all different but all collective.” As I stood at different points around the piece with various participants, it definitely became clear in how many ways this piece could be seen.
With a shorter look at the piece, one participant revealed that she found the similarities of five synthetic animals moving in the same direction to be almost unnatural, while through a longer period of observation, another participant began to notice the differences in the animals and began to assign them their roles in the pack. She also began to see a slight shift in the direction of one of the sculptures that suggested they were starting to veer off course. Her creation of a story where each of five very similar animals had a particular character based on their visual features was only possible by really taking the time to notice these distinctions.
While “African Wild Asses” was analyzed through observing the animals carefully, “A Landscape” was enjoyed thoughtfully looking up at the piece from the floor. The arts advocate who had chosen the piece stated that she had done so because the large sphere, the focal point of the piece, “draws me in.” The wood and copper work included a total of three pieces, but, as the participant who had chosen the piece also felt, people could not help but be absorbed and overwhelmed by the immensity and beauty of the copper orb.
While hints of colour were visible within the oxidized copper of “A Landscape”, colour was far more pronounced in Gabriela Benitez’ “Rojo y Blanco.” In mine as well as others’ opinions, the vivid greens and reds overlaid with white chaotic lines released emotion which was only multiplied the longer the work was viewed.
Each of these pieces as well as the other works chosen, including a multimedia piece by Cheryl L’Hirondelle and another sculpture by Tom Benner, gave me the chance to pose and answer questions and see art from new (and many more) angles. As I walked through the gallery, I was certainly able to appreciate the value of looking at art slowly and engaging with others to discover some amazing insights I never would have thought of on my own. Taking my time with art was a positive and rewarding experience, however, I was not so successful with the food; I had a hard time treating the slow lunch served after with the same patience–it was just too delicious!
– Rachel
Reflections from Hosts: di Rosa
A note from di Rosa host Michael F McCauley:
Slow Art Day 2014 at the di Rosa (Napa, CA: www.dirosaart.org) was the second year we participated. Again this year, the group of participants was intimate – all the better to share observations. And again I was the docent/guide for our slow art lookers. I chose a mix of mediums – two sculptures, two works on paper, and one painting. After viewing these works, we had a picnic lunch on property – the day was sunny and mild — and we discussed what we had seen, including whatever surprise element we had noticed by looking slowly. Given those basics, we’re now thinking about customizing our approach for next year. The recommended 10 minutes of slow looking without discussing seems too long. Next year, we’ll likely spend 7 minutes looking and 3 minutes discussing at each work. We’ll lunch and chat about what we saw, as we did this year. But because it is difficult to recall specifics about each work, after lunch we’ll return to the galleries for an additional viewing of each work. This will reinforce the discussion and likely open up new insights based on everyone’s observations. We’ll still follow the basic structure of Slow Art Day, but alter it to accommodate our somewhat unique situation. (Visitors to the di Rosa Collection may not return to the galleries without a docent/guide.) We’re looking forward to next year and hope to include more participants.
The Slow Pleasures of Looking at Art – Cincinnati CityBeat Feature Article on Slow Art Day
by Steven Rosen
Published in CityBeat: April 2014
“Usually, I feel pressured to look at everything in a specific gallery (or, if out-of-town, an entire museum) and that inevitably means spending too little time with the life’s work of so many talented, creative people. That’s what Slow Art Day is attempting to remedy.
Rather than a Slow Art Day, there should be an ongoing Slow Art Tour. I’d come once a week.”
Read the full feature article on the Cincinnati CityBeat website.
Reflections from Hosts: MIT List Visual Arts Center
A note from MIT List Visual Arts Center host Courtney Klemens:
We had a successful, first-ever Slow Art Day at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, MA, where we focused on our public art collection. It was a perfect day to walk throughout the campus and consider the relationship between art and the environment in which it is situated. To support our close looking, we did a number of collaborative engagement activities, including generating abstract poems and collaborative drawing. And, for fun, here’s a selfie the group took in front of Anish Kapoor’s “Non-object (Plane)”.
Reflections from Hosts: Tom Thomson Art Gallery
Just over a week ago, hundreds of galleries around the world celebrated Slow Art Day. As we wind down, we’ll be sharing some reflections from organizations that participated:
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound, Canada had a fantastic #SlowArtDay2014!
We invited people to #StickItToTheTOM! – guests were asked to write their responses to pieces in our current exhibitions on post-it notes and stick them beside each piece. The response was incredible (and colourful!). We also posted images on our Facebook and Twitter pages for people who couldn’t make it to the Gallery.
We love being a part of Slow Art Day and look forward to next year.
Thank you to Phil Terry, all of the organizers, all of the Galleries and all of the participants!
Notes From Hosts: Mim Scalin
Greetings from Richmond, VA, USA
Slow Art Day 2014! I can’t wait.
I’ve got lots of people signed up (45), and have been keeping in touch with them on a regular basis. I hope they all show up!
It’s going to be an exciting event.
I’ve chosen 3 pieces from the 20th century galleries and 2 from an area under viewed for sure, sporting life, which is mainly British paintings ofhorse and dogs from the 1800s.
Won’t people be surprised!
Instead of making buttons this year, I made labels on adhesive backed paper.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s photos from the event.
Best wishes to all,
Mim Golub Scalin
volunteer host
Sign up to participate in this event here.
New York Today: Their First 100 Days, Too – New York Times Article featuring Slow Art Day mention
by Annie Correal and Andy Newman
April 11, 2014
“Slow down, it’s Slow Art Day at six city galleries (and more than 200 others around the world). The concept: Look at five artworks for 10 minutes each, then meet and discuss.”
Slow Art Day and the value of spending time looking at pictures – Image Source Interview with Phil Terry, founder
by John O’Reilly
Published in Image Source: April 11, 2014
“But what’s interesting about Slow Art Day is that it offers a practice (look for at least 10 minutes) and the possibility of an experience that’s owned by the viewer. It’s why giving attention to art at the very least brings new perspective, and is in the words of business thinkers potentially ‘disruptive’ in that it can over time shift how you see things.”