For their second Slow Art Day, The Florence County Museum in South Carolina invited visitors to take a slow look at several artworks by local artist William H. Johnson (born 1901), featuring scenes of the everyday life of African Americans during the 1930s and 1940s.
On the day, all visitors were offered a printed slow looking guide (see below) and a Slow Art Day button when entering the museum. Visitors could choose between walking around on their own or taking part in a guided group tour, which were available throughout opening hours 10am-5pm. Refreshments were available in the afternoon (nice touch!).
The Florence County Museum did a great job with their Slow Art Day – a simple effective printed guide, a lovely button, focus on one artist, a choice between a formal tour and self-guided reflection, and, finally, even refreshments.
What an effective holistic approach to the day.
Other museums and galleries may want to consider copying their design (or at least their guide).
The Florence County Museum is leading the way in celebrating Slow Art Day and we look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2024 (registration is open!)
-Johanna, Phyl, Ashley, and Jessica Jane
PS. Stay up to date with the Florence County Museum’s news and exhibitions through their Instagram and Facebook pages.
For their first Slow Art Day, the Bula Barua Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida, hosted an event called “Rosé and Fine Art.”
Arriving guests were welcomed with a glass of wine or water and given a slow tour of The Bula Barua Gallery. Each artwork had a QR code, which revealed the artwork’s story and description.
Slow looking participant at the Bula Gallery, 2023
The Bula Gallery space
Bula Barua is an artist whose conscientious approach to painting fits in well as a slow making approach. In her own words:
“I take a lot of time to plan out my paintings before I pick up a brush. I first start with a sketch and then graduate to pigments and paints. It often takes hundreds of layers of color to bring my vision to life […] This entire process from start to finish can take weeks or months, depending on the size of my canvas and which materials I use.”
At Slow Art Day HQ we hope that more individual artists copy Bula Burua and host Slow Art Day events in their galleries and studios. It’s a great way to deepen their relationship with their followers, fans, and potential buyers.
We look forward to what Bula Burua comes up with for Slow Art Day 2024.
This year Galleri Pictor and Munka folkhogskola (a Swedish folk high school and adult education center) hosted Slow Art events several times during the year: once in April for Slow Art Day, and three times during the summer for art students taking summer courses at the center. The slow looking sessions all took place at Galleri Pictor and each session focused on a single artwork – Clara Lundgren’s “Det var här” (“It was here”).
Clara Lundgren (undated). “Det var här” (It was here). Acrylic on canvas. 69×82 cm. This artwork was used for the slow looking sessions at Galleri Pictor.
Arriving participants were welcomed and given a worksheet (in Swedish) containing instructions for eye palming along with slow looking prompts.
These instructions have been translated into English below:
— Materials: Artwork, Worksheets and Timer —
1) Eye Palming is a technique to relax the muscles around the eyes. Warm your hands by rubbing them together for a few seconds. Close your eyes and press your palms lightly against your cheeks, then cup your fingers over your eyes and eyebrows. Breathe slowly and deeply for three minutes.
2) Open your eyes slowly and look at the artwork with the same focus you had on your breathing. – What do you notice? – What colors, compositions, shapes and materials do you see? – Does the artwork remind you of an event in your life? – Do you think others notice the same thing as you? If your mind wanders, try to focus again on the image. Look at the artwork for 10 minutes.
3) Relax again. Take a few deep breaths and notice any further thoughts you have about the artwork.
4) Write down reflections on the worksheet. Do this for 10 minutes.
5) Finally, we reflect together on our experiences of the image and how it felt to do the activity.
During the slow looking session Charlotte Fällman Gleissner, art expert and teacher at Munka Folkhögskola, kept track of the time transitions using a timer.
For the closing group reflection, Galleri Pictor repeated their successful concept from last year of sharing tea and biscuits together while participants discussed their slow looking session. Some of the reflections from this section of the event are included on the Pictor Gallery blog (in Swedish).
We love the focus on a single art work (the original idea for Slow Art Day was to spend one hour with a single artwork).
We can’t wait to see what Galleri Pictor and Munka folkhögskola come up with for Slow Art Day 2024 – and throughout the year. We also hope that future events include tea and biscuits, especially if they save some for us!
For their first Slow Art Day (and as the first registered Slow Art Day in New Delhi), Gallery Art.Motif opened up the gallery to slow looking enthusiasts.
Slow looking participants
Slow looking participants
The event began at 11:00 am. Visitors were first welcomed by Joan Lueth, Slow Art Day Host at the gallery, and Gallery Owner and Director, Mala Anneja. We at Slow Art Day HQ want to point out that Lueth first brought Slow Art Day to China when she lived in Shanghai, and now, since moving to New Delhi, she has continued her evangelism by working with Anneja to bring it to the Indian capital.
The design of their day was simple: Lueth and Anneja invited participants to choose an artwork they felt drawn to. All participants spent time looking slowly at the art, and then after their slow looking, everyone came together over lunch to talk about the experience.
The Gallery primarily showcases contemporary abstract and non-representational art from both upcoming and established artists, leaving plenty of room for interpretations and impressions to share with others during the Slow Art Day discussion component.
We thank Leuth for continuing to bring Slow Art Day out around the world and can’t wait to see what Art.Mofif Gallery come up with for Slow Art Day 2024, and hope that other galleries in India will also be inspired to join the slow looking movement.
For their third Slow Art Day, Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, England, invited visitors to look slowly at five artworks ranging from the twelfth-century to present day:
Twelfth-century Romanesque stone reliefs depicting the Raising of Lazarus.
Graham Sutherland’s “Noli Me Tangere” (1961), which shows the encounter between Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ who she mistakes for a gardener.
Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window (1977), illustrating Psalm 150.
Michael Clark’s “Five Wounds” (1994), consisting of five tiny depictions of the wounds of Christ in locations around the Cathedral, and symbolising the Body of Christ: two at the West end (the feet), two in the transepts (the hands), and one at the North side (the wound in Christ’s side).
Anne Grebby’s “Enfleshed Word” (2023), a temporary installation in the St John Chapel. This is a triptych altarpiece. The central panel depicts Jesus being baptized by John. The side panels consist of abstract designs depicting the Holy Spirit.
Plaster cast of a stone relief depicting the Raising of Lazarus, from Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex. Image source: the V&A museum collections. Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window (1977). Photo by Arjen Bax. Image source: Wikipedia.
After a brief introduction, participants looked at each work in chronological order for 10 minutes. After an hour, they met up for a second hour of discussion over tea and coffee with John Workman, Cathedral volunteer, who was able to give additional information about the artworks.
The event was fully booked with a maximum of 10 participants in each of two sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. John Workman noted that the small group size works the best in the Cathedral, and is appreciated by the participants.
Workman also sent us a quote written by Hans Feibusch, an artist who saw the importance of art commissioned for a sacred space and wrote this at the end of the Second World War:
But modern people come into church with the impressions of the outside world and all its images…still quivering in their mind. Their beliefs are shadowy and elusive; they sit and cannot focus their attention…But if there are paintings… their minds can fix on these, quieten gradually and make their ascent into the world of which the paintings are only the shadow.
Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch’s work “Baptism of Christ” (1951) hangs in the cathedral, though was not featured in the Slow Art Day event this year.
Workman himself wrote the following about hosting Slow Art Day:
Events like the Slow Art Day are ideal for a Cathedral like Chichester. It gives participants the opportunity to spend time before the individual artworks. These artworks are in the location for which they were created. They are there for a purpose; they have something to say, and I think that the space itself has a part the play.
Chichester Cathedral, April 2012. Photo by Evgeniy Podkopaev. Image source: Wikipedia.
Chichester Cathedral is one of the three churches that participated in Slow Art Day this year, along with Sint-Pauluskerk in Antwerp, Belgium who has been taking the lead in the Slow Art Day church movement. We hope they can continue to inspire more churches to participate, and look forward to what they come up with in 2024.
Our favorite Basque museum, Ur Mara Museoa, held its eighth Slow Art Day in 2023 and, like they have done in the past, they arranged a full day of slow looking, cooking, eating, and dancing.
The art came from five artists inspired by the French ecological movement of the 1990s, which sought to oppose the consumerist and speculative art market, and to instead advocate for ecological aesthetic values such as recycling and craftsmanship.
The five artists represented included:
Uxue Lasa (sculpture) Anton Mendizabal (sculpture) Myrian Loidi Zulet (textile) Mari Jose Lacadena (therapeutic art) Eduardo Arreseigor (various art)
Further, a lecture by Juan Tomas Olazagirre – “La notación musical” – was held before the end-of-day special dinner (the dinner known as “community food”).
Click the above photo to watch a video excerpt.
Below is the promotional flyer they used to spread the word about their Slow Art Day.
Someday the Slow Art Day HQ team will finally make the trek to Ur Mara Museo so we can participate in their amazing daylong celebration of art, food, and community. We look forward to what they come up with for 2024.
For their Slow Art Day 2023, Sweden’s National Museum (referred to as “Nationalmuseum” in Sweden) offered a full day of all kinds of interesting and creative sessions. Museums around the world take heed – this is a great way to celebrate Slow Art Day.
Under the direction of Johannes Mayer who coordinates the public events/programming, Sweden’s Nationalmuseum started Slow Art Day with a slow yoga class amongst sculptures in the sculpture yard, in the morning at 8:30 am before the museum opened. Participants were led by yoga teacher Victoria Winderud and the session ended with a fresh smoothie served in the café beneath.
Wow. We wish we could have been there.
Then, once the museum opened, young visitors (5-11 years old) were invited to go on a slow looking tour of a handful of paintings in the collection, led by museum staff, between 10:30 and 11:15 am. At 2 pm, adults were invited to do the same.
But that was not all.
There was also a storytelling session at the beautiful Strömsalen (a large room with both paintings and sculptures), led by Sara Borgegård, Intendent Pedagog for the museum (roughly – the “Superintendent of Pedagogy”), who told a saga based on one of the sculptures in the room.
Wait. There was more.
All day long, the Nationalmuseum offered “drop-in art-chill” sessions at the sculpture-hall/yard, where visitors could sit or lay down on a yoga mat and listen to a pre-recorded session, slowly observing the beautiful room.
And even that is not all.
Finally, all visitors could borrow a slow-looking guide to explore and discover works of art at their own slow pace.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
What a great design.
See some fabulous photos below.
Slow Art Day yoga with sculptures at Sweden’s National Museum, 2023.Children slow looking at paintings at the National Museum for Slow Art Day,2023 Children slow looking at paintings at the National Museum for Slow Art Day, 2023. Slow looking at an artwork for Slow Art Day 2023 at the National Museum
Slow Yoga (a person in a resting pose behind a half-reclining statue) at the National Museum’s Slow Art Day event.
Slow Art Day yoga with sculptures at Sweden’s National Museum, 2023
The Nationalmuseum team of Sara Borgegård Älgå, Johannes Mayer and Helena Sjödin Landonthere tell us they are looking forward to Slow Art Day 2024, especially as they continue to receive such great feedback from visitors (note: 2023 was their fourth Slow Art Day). Further, since Slow Art Day usually happens around Easter and many tourists are in town, they plan to offer some of the programs in English as well as Swedish, to make it accessible to even more people.
Wow. We can’t wait to see what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2024.
– Phyl, Johanna, Ashley, and Jessica Jane
P.S. The Slow Art Day team has decided to ask the Accademia Gallery of Florence if they would host a yoga session around the statue of David. Right? Let’s all go!
Payal Thiffault and Michelle May, founders of Juniper Rag magazine and Slow Art Day pioneers going back to the founding, held their 2023 Slow Art Day at The White Room Gallery in Worcester, MA. They invited both the public and the following New England-based artists whose work was on exhibition at the gallery:
Curtis Speer, Newport, RI
Scott Boilard, Worcester, MA
Howard Johnson, Jr., Worcester, MA
John Pagano, Paxton, MA
Sue Swinand, Worcester, MA
Tara Sellios, Boston, MA
Slow Art Day 2023 Poster by The White Room, Presented by Juniper Rag
Participants arrived for the event and began slowly looking at the artwork, with questions and discussions organically began as everyone looked at the artwork. Having the artists present created a lot of additional excitement.
John Pagano’s artwork featured at The White Room Slow Art Day 2023
Viewing began with a look at Scott Boilard’s surrealist painting, ‘Nightmares of Time’, which incorporates figurative imagery and appears to illustrate tension, passion and an emotional journey that the viewer can piece together in many different ways. Attendees were intrigued by the subject matter, the techniques used and the feeling of motion in the piece. Uniquely, the artist had the opportunity to talk about his concept in painting the work and how it related to self-expression and the feelings that come from societal pressure. Discussing his art so intimately was a great kick-off to the day.
Visitors also viewed work by Howard B. Johnson, Jr. who creates landscapes of symbolic references and double entendres that keep the viewer’s eye moving all over the art. Humor, visual taunts and esoterica left many viewers with endless questions.
They then moved on to fine art photographs by Tara Sellios and Curtis Speer and ended the viewing with paintings by Susan Swinand and John Pagano.
Viewers reported leaving with in-depth insights and reflections on all of the work. The hosts said that they found it rewarding to see the different perspectives, from art educators, conservators, engineers and doctors.
Food served at the event (slow looking pairs well with snacks)Scott Boilard’s painting ‘Nightmares of Time’, featured at The White Room Slow Art Day 2023Slow Art Day participants at The White Room. 2023.Slow Art Day participants at The White Room. 2023. Here viewing Scott Boilards painting. Slow Art Day participants at The White Room. 2023.
We love the way Michelle May and Payal Thiffault continue to lead the Slow Art Day movement – and continue to keep their own minds open to constant and ongoing learning. We look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2024!
For their second Slow Art Day, the member-run non-profit gallery Artspace, in Richmond, Virginia, planned a simple approach for their event: start with a 5-minute meditation, followed by 5-minute slow looking at four chosen works currently hanging in the gallery, and a group discussion afterwards.
Slow Art Day at Artspace social media graphic.
The gallery opened at noon, and the hosts provided healthy nibbles, mimosas, and water with cucumber, mint and lemon as they welcomed visitors and explained the history and mission of Slow Art Day. At 2pm, they started to play meditative flute music.
While the organizers had a clear plan for meditation, slow viewing and discussion, the participants decided to make some changes on the fly. For example, the first group of visitors skipped the meditation and jumped right in to looking at a large painting. Next, the participants decided to split up and slow look at one art work that they each chose. This did not quite follow the event plan, the organizers went with the flow of the group, and said it worked out even better than planned. Many Slow Art Day educators and hosts know that sometimes visitors take ideas into their own hands, which after all is the central mission of Slow Art Day.
Slow looking at Artspace
At the end of the session, participants held a long discussion about their experience: why did they choose the art they chose, what did they see, and thoughts on the design of the exhibit.
At Slow Art Day HQ we are pleased to know that the event worked out well and we look forward to seeing what this Richmond gallery comes up with for Slow Art Day 2024.
– Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Check out Artspace on their social media pages Facebook and Instagram.
P.P.S. Note to Slow Art Day museums: please provide water with cucumber, mint and lemon to all your guests 😉
For the first-stage, MART invited the Slow Food producers to a private event in order to experience slow looking with the works of art shown below.
“Spiralando sull’Arena di Verona”, by Renato Di Bosso, 1935 (from the permanent collection)
“L’incantesimo dell’amore e la primavera della vita” by Galileo Chini, 1914 (from the temporary exhibition on Klimt and Italian Art)
“Spiralando sull’Arena di Verona”, by Renato Di Bosso. 1935.
Left panel detail from “L’incantesimo dell’amore e la primavera della vita” by Galileo Chini. 1914.
Right panel detail from “L’incantesimo dell’amore e la primavera della vita” by Galileo Chini. 1914.
Visitors looking at “L’incantesimo dell’amore e la primavera della vita” by Galileo Chini (1914) for Slow Art Day at MART 2023
For the second stage held about a week later, MART invited the public to the same slow looking experience with the same works of art.
This time, however, the Slow Food producers held a food tasting afterwards that featured foods they chose to pair with the art based on things like color and emotion. During the tasting, the Slow Food collective talked about their choices in the pairings.
Wow! What a great design for Slow Art Day.
We encourage museums around the world to do something similar: partner with a local Slow Food organization.
Slow Art collaboration with Slow Food at MART 2023
Slow Food tasting as part of MART’s Slow Art Day 2023
Not surprisingly, the MART hosts (Monica Sperandio, Social Media Representative, and Denise Bernabe, Membership Coordinator), reported that the event was a success on all fronts:
We were very satisfied with the experience and the collaboration as Slow Art and Slow Food have very similar ethics and visions, and we were able to combine two different but similar pleasures of life such as art and quality food.
Monica Sperandio
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love the partnership with Slow Food.
We (one of us is based in Italy) hope to visit MART in the future, and get a chance to see and taste the art and food ourselves.
And, of course, we are eager to see what unique design MART comes up with for Slow Art Day 2024.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane and Phyl
P.S. Stay up to date with upcoming events at MART via their Instagram and Facebook pages.
