[In this series, we interview hosts for Slow Art Day and get their thoughts on hosting, the art of looking, and the slow art community. Today we interview Robert Fahey, who is hosting a Slow Art Day event at the Oakland Museum of California in Oakland, CA.]

Mathews Furniture Shop (1860-1945), Franc Pierce Hammon Memorial Windows, 1925, glass.
One of the works that will be featured in the Oakland Museum of California’s Slow Art Day event.

Slow Art Day: First, introduce yourself to us – what do you do at the Oakland Museum of California?

Robert: I’m Robert Fahey, OMCA’s Social Media Coordinator! I live in the Marketing Department in our Audience and Civic Engagement Center but you’ll rarely find me at my desk since I am always collaborating with staffers all over the Museum to make sure the OMCA experience is fully represented in the social sphere.

Slow Art Day: Tell us a little bit about the OMCA and its collection.

Robert: The Oakland Museum of California is in the heart of Oakland, next to the beautiful Lake Merritt. We are a multidisciplinary museum that exhibits the art, history, and natural sciences of California. Our collections – comprising more than 1.8 million objects including seminal art works, historical artifacts, ethnographic objects, natural specimens, and photographs – and our programs explore and reveal the factors that shape California character and identity, from its extraordinary natural landscapes, to successive waves of migration, to its unique culture of creativity and innovation.

Slow Art Day: How did you initially hear about Slow Art Day? What made you interested in getting the Oakland Museum involved with the movement?

Robert: I heard about Slow Art Day from the Bay Area Museum SuperFriends! It’s all the folks that are involved with some aspect of social media in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. What made me want to have OMCA get in on the action was the thought that I could take this event and make sure everyone knew about it and talked about it over social media, but also that the event itself would still let people engage and connect on a deeper level with art within our museum walls.

Slow Art Day: Tell us about the works you’ve chosen for your Slow Art Day event. What made you choose those specific works?

Robert: We chose works from our Gallery of California that would allow the viewer to find a narrative of California character that they could all relate to. All of the works give the viewer the chance to experience something unique and fun!

Slow Art Day: And lastly, feel free to add any other information about your event that you think is important.

Robert: Please come with California on the mind! And afterwards, feel free to take the conversation of slow art to the online social world and talk to OMCA on Facebook and Twitter!

Slow Art Day: Thank you so much Robert! Best of luck in your Slow Art Day event.

[If you’re in the area, make sure to check out the Oakland Museum of California’s Slow Art Day event. You can sign up to attend here, and get a sneak peek of the works that will be featured in the event both on our Tumblr and on OMCA’s website.]