Tag Archives: female artists

Glen Foerd Hosts 4th Slow Art Day

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For Slow Art Day 2024, Glen Foerd in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania invited participants to look slowly at four selected works of art, led by Executive Director Ross Mitchell.

Glen Foerd itself is a beautiful mansion and grounds on the banks of the Delaware River (learn more about the venue and its history on their website).

Their collection is an eclectic mix of works from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, where Italian masterpieces sit next to works by local Philadelphia artists. The beauty of slow-looking is that it brings deep observation and appreciation to all works of art no matter the provenance.

Exterior of Glen Foerd. Photo by Ashley Moran.

For the event, participants were invited to spend at least 10 minutes with each
of the following selected pieces:

  • Luigi Setanni (American, 1908–1984). Village and Calvary, c. mid-1930s. Oil on canvas
  • Thomas Sully (Attributed) (American, 1783 – 1872). Head of a Young woman in a Black Feathered Hat. Oil on Panel
  • Edith Emerson (American, 1888–1981). A Florentine Garden. Oil on canvas
  • Talia Eve Greene (American, 1976). Threadbare and Tarnished: Tales from a Gilded Age, 2017. Mixed Media
Luigi Setanni (American, 1908–1984). Village and Calvary, c. mid-1930s. Oil on canvas
Thomas Sully (Attributed) (American, 1783 – 1872). Head of a Young woman in a Black Feathered Hat. Oil on Panel
Edith Emerson (American, 1888–1981). A Florentine Garden. Oil on canvas
Talia Eve Greene (American, 1976). Threadbare and Tarnished: Tales from a Gilded Age, 2017. Mixed Media

Afterwards, Ross led the group through a discussion about each work.

Executive Director Ross Mitchell leading the discussion in front of three of the works.
Participants looking slowly at the selected works.
Participants looking slowly at the selected works.
Participant taking in the mixed media work in a separate room, by Talia Eve Greene – Threadbare and Tarnished: Tales from a Gilded Age.

Participants were also given a flyer with a series of prompts (download the flier).

Flyer of the eventDownload

Ashley Moran, volunteer at Slow Art Day HQ, visited Glen Foerd for their fourth Slow Art Day in 2024, and very much appreciated their selection of art and the lively discussion facilitated by Executive Director Ross Mitchell.

We are excited to see what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

– Ashley, Jessica Jane, Johanna, and Phyl

P.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, hospital, sculpture park or movie theater here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/

Mason City, IL, Hosts City-Wide Slow Art Day

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For their first city-wide Slow Art Day, the town of Mason City, Illinois lined up three venues to host artwork events for Slow Art Day: the public library, Reimagine Mason City Foundation, and the Arlee Theater. 

All three are local nonprofits who are actively involved in youth services and the arts. Even though Mason City is not large enough to need a stop light (with a population of 2500), they still make sure to celebrate local artists. This year’s featured works included pieces from local artists who have passed on, as well as works from four other Central Illinois artists with various ties to Mason City. Most of the entries were paintings, with one sculpture.

This year’s local artworks were: 

  • Unknown titled piece by Andrea Maxson
  • “Colorful Flowers” by the late Helen Kim
  • Two untitled pieces by Anastasia Neumann
  • “Protection” and “Old Warrior” by Rick Kehl
  • Unknown titled piece by the late Mary Price
  • Unknown titled piece by the late Mary K. Mangold
  • “Arcturian Landscape Study in Aluminum” by Paige Price 
Untitled work by Anastasia Neumann
Untitled work by Anastasia Neumann
Untitled work by Andrea Maxson
“Colorful Flowers” by Helen Kim
Untitled work by Mary K. Mangold
Untitled work by Mary Price
“Arcturian Landscape Study in Aluminum” by Paige Price
“Old Warrior” by Rick Kehl
“Protection” by Rick Kehl

On Slow Art Day, the artworks were divided across the three selected locations, and tips for looking at art slowly were provided at each venue.

  • The public library showed their pieces in a special exhibit.
  • The Reimagine Mason City Foundation hosted a pop-up coffee shop where their works were displayed. 
  • And lastly, the Arlee Theater projected digital versions of all of the works onto the big screen prior to the evening’s show (we have seen several theaters participate over the years, and love this type of venue for slow looking!).

At Slow Art Day HQ, we love to see citywide events – and especially appreciate smaller towns who come together to celebrate the day. We also hope to see more movie theaters join the Slow Art Day movement.

We look forward to seeing what Mason City comes up with for Slow Art Day in 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl


P.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park or movie theater here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/

The Red Awl Hosts First Slow Art Day

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For their first Slow Art Day, The Red Awl in Clarkdale, Arizona, featured four tiny ink-on-paper drawings by Karen McClanahan. The drawings were chosen because they align with the mission of The Red Awl to create, exhibit, and promote handcrafted, quirky, and often humorous artists’ books and fine art multiples.

The Red Awl is an artist-run project space located in a 100+ year old building in the small town of Clarkdale, Arizona. The building contains studios, a workshop, a copy room with a vintage Xerox machine, and a 242 square foot office lobby that serves as a project and exhibition space.

On Slow Art Day 2024, visitors were welcomed and asked to sign an antique ledger guestbook, then they were invited to read a short statement describing Slow Art Day along with an introduction to the drawings on view. Since this was the first time The Red Awl hosted Slow Art Day, they opted for a casual event instead of a formal program. The artist, Karen McClanahan, was on site to engage in discussions and answer questions throughout the day. An extra detail is that all visitors were asked to put away their cell phones and not take any photos or videos during their visit. This allowed them to stay present with the drawings and the artist.

Antique ledger.

 Visitor viewing closely.

Slow Art Day participants were encouraged to look at the tiny drawings – first with an unaided eye and then with a magnifying glass. This allowed them to see the details up close at a similar magnification as the artist had drawn them. The drawings by McClanahan are small – measuring at 1 in. by 1-5/8 in., or slightly larger than a postage stamp. The size of the works offer a unique way to look slowly, as the intimate scale of the artwork requires a close view, making slowing down imperative.

McClanahan meticulously drew the tiny abstract compositions using a Bic ballpoint pen, a Micron pen, a straight edge ruler, a steady hand, and high-powered reading glasses.

Magnifying glasses for literal close looking.

Ink vs. Ink (Original drawing)

Eddy (Original drawing)

After viewing the works, visitors moved on to view a portfolio with the additional original book “plates” and the finished book titled “Ink vs. Ink.” Seeing the larger context of the four works showed visitors how the artist achieved a conceptual book narrative using pure abstraction.

Informal discussions focused on the various allusions to landscape, the human body, architecture, nature, and fabric. There were many questions regarding the drawing technique itself and how the miniature drawings were created using a humble Bic ballpoint pen.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we love this alignment of the small drawings with the mission of the exhibition space (and the magnifying glasses are cool).

We look forward to whatever The Red Awl comes up with for their second Slow Art Day in 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/

Slow Art Day with Soup at Caloundra Regional Gallery

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For their third Slow Art Day, the Caloundra Regional Gallery in Caloundra, Australia, featured the following five works from “The Local Contemporary Art Prize” exhibition, selected by Gallery Collections Curator Nina Shadforth:

  • Itamar Freed, “Tears and Time I Lost” (2023-2024). Kinetic sculpture, water from Maroochy River, artist tears, glass, wood, and metal. 35 x 50 x 47cm.
  • Erin Van Der Wyk, “Biodiverse” (2024). Relief print and embossing. Ed. 1/30. 50.8x61cm.
  • Michael Civarella, “Cross?” (2023). Acrylic paint, board, hardwood timber frame. 80x70cm.
  • Nicole Voevodin-Cash, “Dying Bed” (2023). LANDscan-digital footage, digital print. Ed 1/5. 120x90cm.
  • Andrew Bryant, “Fractal Form” (2023). Wheel-thrown sculptural clay, satin matte Crystal Glaze over colored porcelain slips, stoneware fired. 45x50x8cm.

“The Local Contemporary Art Prize” competition started in 2014 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024. It is open to artists living within the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, who are invited each year to submit 2D and 3D works across all mediums.

Slow looking at one of the selected artworks.

For this year’s Slow Art Day, participants were first welcomed and given an overview of the 2 hour-long event. They were then invited to look slowly at the five artworks for 5-10 minutes each, and then write down their observations.

Below is the multi-page handout they designed for the session. We encourage educators and curators to look at what they’ve done here. It’s worth considering copying.

Caloundra Regional Gallery Slow Art Day BookletDownload

During the event, music was played on the harp and guitar by local musicians, Graham and Rowena.

Graham and Rowena, local musicians.

Participants getting refreshments ahead of the group discussion.

Following the individual experience with the artworks, the group gathered in a circle with refreshments to share their observations (pictured below). Slow cooked soups and focaccia were provided, courtesy of the Friends of the Gallery. They also provided a bar with bubbles and wine for purchase. The free event was well-attended, with 38 booked attendees.

Slow looking participants in a discussion circle with refreshments during the second part of the event.

At Slow Art Day HQ we appreciate the caring they put into every aspect of this event and love the idea of having soup and bread during the discussion (how cozy!).

We look forward to whatever the Caloundra Regional Gallery team comes up with for Slow Art Day in 2025

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Stay up to date with events at the Gallery through their Instagram.

P.S.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/

Slow Art Day at Wellcome Collection in London

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For their second Slow Art Day, Wellcome Collection in London, England, hosted four different slow looking sessions which included unlocking food memories, writing object labels, and slow looking at works in the Reading Room. Wellcome Collection is a free museum that explores human health through the lens of art, medicine, and science.

Signs inviting to the Wellcome Room.

Slow looking participants in the Wellcome Room.

The first session focused on two photographs of women amidst global crises, which illustrated how pandemics and infectious diseases affect the human experience. The exchange that followed with the participants was filled with deep, personal, and emotional testimonies.

The second session, led by Rosie Wassi, one of the Wellcome Collection team, explored the effects of environmental breakdown.

Discussion in front of Kia LaBeija’s self-portrait in the Infection (in this case HIV) Section of the Being Human gallery at the Wellcome Collection.

On a lighter note, the third session invited attendees to label objects from the Handling Collection, which helped to bring gallery employees and visitors closer together. Sana Siddiqui, one of the Wellcome Collection team, also reignited memories and senses through a selection of old food advertisements.

The day concluded with Wellcome Collection’s Slow Art enthusiast, Dickon Moore, leading a slow looking session of the eight-minute film “White” by Daniella Dean, which explored the impact of colonization on New Zealand’s fauna and flora.

A series of prompts were used for the slow looking sessions:

  • What do you see? Colors? Textures? Patterns? Shapes?
  • What do they symbolize? Why were these particular choices made?
  • What do you think the artist wanted to convey through their choices?
  • How does this resonate with you and your experiences? Does it trigger any emotions?
  • Can you tell a story about this object?
  • Based on all that has been discussed, what would you name or title this work?

Throughout the day a Slow Art slideshow, art materials, and books were also available to all visitors in the Wellcome Kitchen.

Dickon Moore leading slow looking at the film “White” from Danielle Dean.

Slow drawing.

All sessions were facilitated individually or in pairs by the following Wellcome Collection team members: Jake Blackavar, Sana Siddiqui, Rosie Wassi, Isabel Greenslade, Isabelle Gapomo, Griff Davies, and Dickon Moore.

The event was well received, and Wellcome Collection provided several participants’ feedback in the file below:

Slow Art Day FeedbackDownload

At Slow Art Day HQ, we love the variety of sessions at Wellcome Collection, and are excited for whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/

Seventh Slow Art Day in Belmont, NC

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While Slow Art Day is often held in large or regional museums, we also love to celebrate when smaller towns and studios join together to host slow looking.

As such, we’re happy to report that Belmont, NC, a small city of about 10,000 people, held their 7th Slow Art Day in April 2024.

To make it happen The Downtown Belmont Development Association in Belmont, NC, partnered with longtime host and local art center, Art by J Studios, which designed an event to focus on four local artists:

  • Kathi Graves
  • Bae Hart
  • Carol Stowe
  • James Norman

Below is their innovative and fun flyer (feel free to copy).

Slow Art Day flier with profiles of the four featured artists

Both the morning and afternoon sessions were held at Art by J, a children’s art school, which is housed in an old mill down the hall from renowned artist Juan Logan.

Slow Art Day participants at one of the two sessions at Art by J.
Participants engaging in slow looking.
Writing and reflecting during one of the Slow Art Day sessions.

On Slow Art Day, guests were greeted by Jeaniene Dibble, the owner of Art by J, who gave them a Slow Art Day pin (we don’t have a photo of the pin – though we are sure we’d want it!) to wear that she had designed, and handed them a clipboard with paper and a pencil. Normally a chaotic environment with students and classes running, on Slow Art Day the school was serene and contemplative. 

Guests looked slowly at each artwork for 10 minutes and used their clipboards to write down inspirations and answers to prompts that they were given. Next, they engaged in a discussion with three of the artists, Kathi Graves, Carol Stowe, and James Norman, who answered questions and discussed the participants’ thoughts and impressions. Pastries, donuts, and water were also provided.

Amy Bossard, the Design Committee Chair at the Downtown Belmont Development Association, reported that guests and artists were so engaged with each other they could have gone on talking all day long (we hear this all the time and witness it ourselves when we run slow looking events).

Both sessions were very well received, and the Downtown Belmont Development Association and Art by J already look forward to Slow Art Day 2025.

– Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

Objects Talk Back at The Gardiner Museum

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For their fifth Slow Art Day, The Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Canada, invited the public to a mindful exploration of the exhibition Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects between 11am – 1pm.

Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid
Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. Photo: Jack McCombe

On Slow Art Day, participants were provided with guided activity sheets (see below) designed to facilitate slow looking. The handout prompted participants to think of how the objects were “talking” to them.

Participants were also encouraged to discuss their experiences either with each other, or with Sofia Flores-Ledesma, Education and Program Coordinator, who was available throughout the event.

Participants looking slowly at the exhibition for Slow Art Day 2024. Photo: Sofia Flores-Ledesma.

Below you can see the activity sheet (and feel free to copy any of what they have done there). The downloadable file also includes a few examples of how participants used the sheet to draw and comment.

Slow Art Day 2024_Participant ResponsesDownload

The exhibition was the first and largest collection of Dame Magdalene Odundo’s works presented in North America, showcasing decades of her art. Magdalene Odundo (born 1950) first trained as a graphic artist in her home country of Kenya before moving to the United Kingdom to take a foundation course at the Cambridge School of Art. In 1976, Odundo graduated in Ceramics, Photography and Printmaking from the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. For more information about Odundo’s work and life, we invite you to look at The Gardiner Museum’s exhibition page.

The Gardiner Museum always hosts beautiful Slow Art Day events, and we look forward to whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

– Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Stay up to date with events at The Gardiner Museum through their Instagram, X (Twitter), or Facebook.

Meditation at Moderna Museet in Malmö

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For their second Slow Art Day, Moderna Museet in Malmö, Sweden, invited participants to a meditation session within the exhibition “Monica Sjöö – The Great Cosmic Mother.”

Meditation session at Moderna Museet Malmö for Slow Art Day 2024. Photo: Modena Museet

On April 13, 2024, Ana María Bermeo, a certified meditation teacher, artist and museologist, prepared the gallery with floor-cushions and chairs, and the limited spaces quickly filled up with enthusiastic slow lookers.

Bermeo aimed to help participants feel more present in the moment – with the art and themselves – and free themselves from the demands of immediacy. No prior knowledge of slow looking or meditation was needed. She emphasized that slowing down with the art was a way to “get in touch with your inner world,” for which the exhibition of Sjöö’s art was well suited.

For readers not familiar with Sjöö’s work, below is an excerpt from the Exhibition Website (Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother):

Monica Sjöö (1938-2005) was an influential feminist artist whose work is part of the alternative spirituality that emerged during the 1970s in opposition to the patriarchy, traditions, and institutional religion. Many of her paintings refer to British ancient cult sites, such as Avebury, and areas that Monica Sjöö made spiritual pilgrimages to and became inspired by.

Monica Sjöö linked many of her ideas to The Great Mother, a figure that is found in many cultures throughout history. For Sjöö, the essence of The Great Mother was present in all phases of life, as an experience that imbues both nature and being. She saw the oppression inflicted on women and minorities, and the exploitation of green areas and the ravaging of nature, as violence against The Great Mother. In this way, her commitment to the women’s movement, environmentalism and her spiritual convictions were related.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we are inspired by the ways in which Sjöö’s background and art highlight important issues, including the socio-cultural position of women, environmental concerns, and spirituality (with and without organized religion).

We can’t wait to see what Moderna Museet in Malmö comes up with for their third Slow Art Day in 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. And given that one of us is Swedish (Johanna) it’s always wonderful to see how much Sweden’s art world has embraced Slow Art Day.

Accessible Slow Art Day Hosted by the Art Gallery at Evergreen

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For their third Slow Art Day, the Art Gallery at Evergreen in Coquitlam, Canada, invited visitors to look slowly at two artworks from their touring exhibition “Paths” for 5-10 minutes each:

Both artworks were part of the 2024 Capture Photography Festival Selected Exhibition Program.

Silas Ng, “Music in My Eyes,” 2020, site-specific installation at the Art Gallery at Evergreen, Evergreen Cultural Centre, 2024. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography. @racheltophamphotography
Still from a video featuring an interior pan of Sarah Anne Johnson’s “Woodland” across several window panels at the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station. Woodland was presented at Evergreen in partnership with TransLink.

On the day, all visitors were invited to look slowly at one or both artworks using the below provided prompts. We encourage museum educators to take a look.

SLOW_ART_DAY_PROMPTSDownload

The activity was self-directed, but after doing individual slow looking, participants could discuss their experience with gallery assistant Kim Grewal, or were encouraged to share their reflections on Instagram. Before leaving, they were also invited to continue the slow looking experience by spending time with some of Evergreen’s public artworks, located only steps away from the gallery.

The exhibition “Paths” featured artwork by twenty-two Canadian artists, two of which were placed in focus for the Slow Art Day event. We’ll note that one of the featured artists, Silas Ng, is deaf, and explores this in his work. In fact, his featured work “Music in My Eyes,” 2020, encourages slow lookers to think creatively as they spend time with the art.

We look forward to seeing what Art Gallery Evergreen comes up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

– Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Stay up to date with events at Art Gallery Evergreen through their Instagram or Facebook.

Slow Yoga and Photography at MOMus Thessaloniki

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For their sixth consecutive Slow Art Day, MOMus-Museum of Photography in Thessaloniki, Greece, hosted yoga and slow looking with a focus on the photography of the Greek photographer Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (1899 – 1998), also known as “Nelly,” or by her studio stamp name “Nelly’s.”

Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari is best known for her photos of Greece between the First and Second World Wars, which shaped the Western imagination of that country. After the outbreak of World War II, she lived in the US where she continued her photography before eventually returning to Greece.

Elly Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (Nelly’s) The Old town of Chania, Crete, 1928
© Benaki Museum Photographic Archives
Elly Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (Nelly’s) From the series “Easter Parade,” New York, April 1956
© Benaki Museum / Photographic Archives
Elly Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (Nelly’s). From the series “Constructions and Buildings in New York,” April 1956 © Benaki Museum / Photographic Archives

For the Slow Art Day event, photographer and certified yoga teacher, Ioanna Fotiadou, first led participants in a short yoga practice aimed at all levels of experience. She guided them to move slowly and remain in the yoga positions while focusing on the present moment.

Slow Art Day Yoga session at MOMus

This was followed by a slow viewing of selected works from the exhibition, which participants observed for 10 minutes each. At the end of the session, they discussed their experience with the museum curators while drinking coffee and enjoying views of the sea.

Participants looking slowly at photography in the exhibition.
Group discussion for Slow Art Day.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we love that yoga, mediation, and mindfulness continue to be a part of our movement – such as the one held at the Swedish National Museum in 2023 or in Ireland in 2024 at West Cork Arts Center.

We also love the passionate participation of MOMus Thessaloniki in Slow Art Day and look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Phyl, Jessica Jane

P.S. Stay up to day with events at MOMus Thessaloniki via Facebook and Instagram.