For their first Slow Art Day, the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina, organized a self-guided viewing activity. They provided visitors with a flyer (shown below) which had a framework for participating and suggested artworks ranging from paintings to quilted art.
Flyer of the event
This is a great flyer/set of instructions. Other museums should feel free to copy anything they’ve done here.
We are glad to welcome the Cameron Art Museum to the Slow Art Day movement and look forward to what they come up with for 2025.
For this year’s Slow Art Day, the project ConectArte.Gestalt hosted 2 events across the city of Barcelona, Spain – one at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and the other at La Virreina. Both events had a Gestalt therapy approach and were led by Gestalt therapist and curator-producer Maribel Perpiñá de Lama.
In this report, we’ll focus on the event at MACBA led by Perpiñá de Lama and focused on five artworks by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané from the exhibition “A leaf in the place of the eye”:
Systemic Grid 126 (Window) (2015)
La Pensée Férale (2020). These are seven photographs taken in the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most biodiverse and endangered rainforests in the world.
Breathing Lines (2020/2023)
Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023)
Orange Oranges (2001)
The exhibition explores themes of impermanence, collective emotions, perception, fragility, time and space.
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Systemic Grid 126 (Window), 2020Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023) and Breathing Lines (2020/2023)Poster.
During the session, Perpiñá de Lama invited participants to slowly observe the artworks using nine principles from Claudio Naranjo‘s Gestalt approach:
Live now, worry about the present.
Live here, relate more to the present than what is absent.
Stop imagining, experience what is real.
Abandon unnecessary thoughts. Feel and observe instead.
Express rather than manipulate, explain, justify or judge.
Experience displeasure and pain as well as pleasure. Do not restrict your awareness.
Do not accept any “should” or “would have” more than your own.
Take full responsibility for your actions, feelings and thoughts.
Accept yourself as you are.
The event was successful, and several participants left positive feedback:
“This workshop was a very eye-opening experience for me. I had never reflected so much on my own shadow and how it affects my daily life. The artwork really helped me to connect with aspects of myself that I normally avoid.”
“I was amazed at how powerful art can be in exploring how we are in the present moment. Seeing the images and then sharing my reflections with the group really made me feel more connected to myself and others.”
“This workshop made me realize how much we have internalized our shadow and how they influence our decisions and relationships. It was a reminder of the importance of confronting those parts of ourselves in order to grow and heal.”
“The combination of the images in the exhibit and the group reflections was very impactful. I felt very supported by the group to explore and openly share my thoughts and feelings.”
At Slow Art Day HQ we appreciate the innovative work ConnectArte.Gestalt and Maribel Perpiñá de Lama are doing and look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
For their 4th Slow Art Day, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, Ireland, led participants in mindfulness practices and slow looking at works featured in their exhibition “Adrift.”
Petrina Shortt, Public Engagement Assistant, ran a lovely meditation-guided slow looking session.
In case other museums want to copy her design, here’s what she did:
Introductions She opened the session with a brief introduction to Slow Art Day, its origins, and what to expect from the slow looking. She then led the group through a round of introductions, and reinforced that the event was not a guided tour, but a moment for each participant to spend directly with art in a relaxing and curious manner.
Breathing/mindfulness practice Petrina then led participants through a short mindfulness breathing practice, asking them to breathe in for a count of four, holding their breath for a count of 5, and releasing their breath for a count of 6. They told them they could do this with their eyes closed or while looking at the featured artwork “Memorandum for Humanity.”
Slow Looking Next she asked them to slowly look at the art, observing without trying too hard to interpret, and instead, focusing on elements in the work: forms, shapes, lines, marks, colors and textures. She also suggested they notice how their eyes moved around the work and where they rested, and encouraged them to continue to focus on their breathing – especially if their minds began to drift away from the work.
Shared observations After eight minutes of slow looking, Petrina asked participants to share their experiences. Most remarked that even though they had seen the work before, they noticed a lot more within the piece after looking slowly at it. All participants commented on how relaxed they felt. They were then invited to explore one or two other artworks in the space for 10 minutes, and reconvene to discuss their observations.
Participants looking slowly at “Chrysalis.”
The group then moved to a second gallery where floor mats, cushions, fruit bowls and water had been arranged across the room. All were invited to sit or lie on the mats and cushions, or take a seat on a chair and close their eyes. During this half of the event, Petrina led the group in a mindfulness meditation which included focused slow breathing and releasing tension. They were then asked to open their eyes and practice slow looking at the large ink drawing on the wall entitled “Chrysalis,” and then to move around the room and look at one more artwork of their choosing.
After the session, all participants were eager to share their observations about the artworks. Some spoke of personal connections that they found, and others spoke of links they made between other artworks that they hadn’t noticed at first. All participants commented on how much they enjoyed the session and would like to attend more Slow Looking events.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love this design for Slow Art Day. While participants were offered information sheets about the art after the event, the focus was on building a personal relationship with the works and discovering how each other sees. This is exactly what we hope Slow Art Day will continue to cultivate – personal relationships with art and with art lovers across the world.
We can’t wait to see what the West Cork Arts Centre comes up with for their 5th Slow Art Day in 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay up to date with events at the West Cork Arts Centre via their Facebook, Twitter (X) and Instagram pages.
