Category Archives: About

How to Submit a Guest Post

Posted on by

At Slow Art Day, we welcome guest posts from the educators, curators, and artists who host Slow Art Day events around the world.

Posts should be:

  • short (no more than 400 words)
  • connected to art, artists, and the art of slow looking
  • written with language that is both accessible (light on jargon and “art speak”), personal, and passionate

Here’s a good example of the kind of writing we like to publish:

Reflections on the Life and Death of Artist Wayne Thiebaud

Hedy Buzan writes with a depth of knowledge about the artist, but with ordinary words and a passion for this artist. She provides a video where he takes a slow look at a painting at The Met and a link to an essay he wrote in 1981. She concludes with a terrific quote from the artist that helps the reader think in a new way about art and the act of creating it.

To send a post for us to consider publishing, please take in mind the above and email us at: info@slowartday.com (or, if you are a host, then you know how to directly contact us).

150+ venues registered for Slow Art Day 2013

Posted on by

Now in its fourth year, Slow Art Day 2013 is on track to be our biggest in the movement’s short history! We want to take a moment to highlight some of the milestones that Slow Art Day has reached this year due to the work of our dedicated group of volunteers and college interns (if you want to intern with us, click here to find out more).

Slow Art Day 2013 is taking place in:

  • 150+ venues
  • 128 different participating cities
  • 20 countries, including Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Poland, Turkey, Lithuania and many more.
  • 5 continents

Over the past year, our team has grown from 5 core volunteers to a team of over 15 people, strongly helped by the internship program that global coordinator Dana-Marie Lemmer created. Our team has been hard at work helping to raise awareness about Slow Art Day 2013. We now have 7,000+ followers on Tumblr, an active and growing Facebook and Twitter presence, and regular updates to this blog. We also built a global database of galleries and museums and are in constant communication with all of those institutions.

Of course, Slow Art Day would be nothing without our vast network of hosts from around the globe; from museum coordinators to art-lovers, our hosts have enthusiastically responded to the Slow Art movement, registering to host their own Slow Art Day events at their local museum or gallery.

There’s only three months left until Slow Art Day 2013. If you want to connect with other art lovers, enjoy the art of looking, and take a break from the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced world, then sign up to host in your city and become a part of this rapidly growing global movement.

– Alie Cline, Social Media Manager

Slow Art Day – A Valentine for Art

Posted on by

Slow Art Day officially takes place this year on April 28th. But perhaps it should be held on Valentine’s Day each year, because Slow Art is really about loving art in a way we often share with loved ones.

Spending slow time gazing into a loved one’s face,  seeing all the detail and finding surprises and insights is how we get to know another person.  It is the same with art. Spending time and slowly looking gives us insight, surprise, joy, wonder, understanding, perhaps bewilderment, and most important our own experience that effects mind, body and something deeper.

Slow Art Day is a worldwide shared experience where on the same day every year small groups of  people gather to visit an art museum or gallery in their city or town. Instead of the usual few seconds of looking at a piece of art, Slow Art Day participants spend 10 to 15 minutes or longer viewing each piece of five or more art works that were chosen by volunteer hosts.  The participants simply view art on their own, without a docent or art historian to fill them in, thereby experiencing their own thoughts, feelings and insights.  Participants can look at the art, sketch, journal, meditate, or what ever works for them (as allowed) to get to know the art.  Then after viewing everyone gathers for an informal lunch and discusses their experiences of slow art.

Right now there are  47 sites around the world that will have a Slow Art Day experience in 2012. More cities will join before April 28th.  Slow Art Day started in 2009 with four people  at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.  Last year hundreds took part at 90 locations, on all continents, even Antartica. All the hosts are volunteers, there is no cost beyond admission and lunch. Go to the Slow Art Day website, look for your city and sign up.  If there is no Slow Art Day listed where you are, volunteer to be a host.  I have been a host, along with my friend Kelly Larson, for the last two years.  We again will host the 2012 Slow Art Day in St. Louis at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.  Hosting is very little work, and lots of fun.

Here are some photos from previous Slow Art Day events, from around the world.

And perhaps the best for last is the three year old painting.  Here’s what was said by the Slow Art Day host: “Best Slow Art Day picture EVER. One of the participants of Slow Art Day sent me this picture of his 3 year old daughter after they both attended yesterday. She had never painted before, but immediately after they left she wanted to paint so he bought her paints, a canvas and an easel. Slow Art Day just inspired someone to start painting at 3 years old. It doesn’t get any cooler than that.”

—————–

This blog post was published originally on Valentine’s Day 2012 at Creativity For The Soul blog, by Linda Wiggen Kraft