For Slow Art Day 2019, Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland invited visitors to slow down, focus, and connect with artworks in the exhibition: Poulaphouca: New Paintings & Works on Paperby Wicklow-based, Texas born artist Sam Reveles.
The event began with a guided meditation facilitated by Suzanne Martius, Hatha Yoga practitioner.
Guided meditation facilitated by Suzanne Martius.
This was followed with a Slow Art looking session and guided discussion facilitated by Jean Mann, Interim Learning and Public Engagement Curator at Butler Gallery.
Jean Mann, Interim Learning and Public Engagement Curator at Butler Gallery, facilitating slow observation of artwork “Elemental Span, 2018” by artist Sam Reveles.
We look forward to what Butler Gallery comes up with for Slow Art Day 2020.
For Slow Art Day 2019, Wanås Konst – Center for Art and Learning based in southern Sweden organized a full day focused on three main activities: yoga, slow art exploration, and meditative action painting.
The day started with the yoga session led by yoga instructor Risa Larsen, who focused on gaining new energy and a relaxed body and mind.
Then throughout the day, visitors were encouraged to choose five artworks in the sculpture park, taking the time to observe each slowly.
Finally, in the afternoon, visitors were invited to the “Meditative Action Painting” workshop inspired by the Danish artist Jeppe Hein. Participants filled Tibetan singing bowls with colored water and used a ringer to slowly move around the edge of the bowl to create vibrations. These vibrations then created a work of art by sprinkling colored droplets onto a canvas underneath the bowl.
Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine hosted its first Slow Art Day last April and they used a simple design: for each of five artworks, participants looked for five minutes then talked for five minutes.
During the discussions, visitors shared stories about the new details they noticed – like the interior architecture of a building, background activities, color, reflection, light, sound, and perspective.
“Cigarette Girls,” Seville, 1895 by Walter Gay
2019 Slow Art Day at Colby included the following art:
“Columbus Circle at Night,” 2010 by Richard Estes
“Red Tree in High Winter,” 1968 by Alma Thomas
“Cigarette Girls,” Seville, 1895 by Walter Gay (pictured)
“Yellowstone Falls,” 1891 by Grafton Tyler Brown
“Ntozakhe II, Own Things or Everything,” Parktown, South Africa, 2016 by Zanele Muholi
After the slow looking sessions, the museum gathered everyone in the lobby for coffee, tea, and sweets.
We look forward to their second Slow Art Day in 2020.
Valerie Arntzen, assemblage artist at AMP Studio in Vancouver, Canada, invited Slow Art Day 2019 participants to look at one of two pieces of her artwork slowly and then discuss the experience.
“Heaven and Earth”
“Riding the Rails”
Not surprisingly, Valerie found — as Marcel Duchamp once said — that the “spectator completes the work of the artist.” In other words, the Slow Art Day participants were active co-creators of Valerie’s art bringing new and varied meaning and perspective.
It’s great to have artists and “spectators” directly interact via slow looking. In fact, we invite artists all over the world to open up their studios for Slow Art Day and hope that more will follow Valerie’s example next year.
The Clare Gallery in Hartford, Connecticut hosted its third Slow Art Day last April featuring an exhibit of works by Ann Grasso, “Begging Bowls and Offering Bowls.”
They came up with an interesting design for their session.
Here’s what they did:
Each participant chose one work from the exhibit to study individually for fifteen minutes.
Then the group moved from piece to piece with the “student” of that work describing their reflections, questions and connections.
Following the individual study and discussion, viewers then studied three works at length as a group.
At the end, the artist Ann Grasso herself, who had observed everything up to that point, joined the dialogue.
Grasso told participants that she was delighted by the many details, shapes, and cultural symbols they saw through her work (including, of course, some she herself did not see).
Here at Slow Art Day we encourage artists to participate like this as long as they do what Grasso did here: wait to the end to share their reflections (otherwise, the artist can overdetermine what the viewers see or don’t see).
Patricia Curtis, who helps run the gallery, said the day went well and they are looking forward to 2020.
“Participants seemed to lose themselves in the meaning of the works and thoroughly enjoyed hearing so many insights and interpretations.”
Patricia Curtis, Pastoral Associate to the Clare Gallery Committee
– Ashley
The Clare Gallery is a not-for-profit professional exhibition gallery located in the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Connecticut.
For Slow Art Day 2019, Mildura Arts Centre in Mildura, Australia hosted a day full of events including slow looking at the Sam Loyd exhibit, “The Lost Photographs of Socrates Smith,” as well as meditation sessions with local artist and yoga instructor Laura Freitag.
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada participated in their first Slow Art Day in 2019 by inviting visitors to slow down with ceramics, glass and mixed media from Canadian artists.
After one hour of slow looking, visitors gathered for 30 minutes to discuss their observations about the material and meaning of the works, including the hidden qualities and stories they discovered.
According to The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, one participant said it was “exhilarating to meet new people and share so many diverse perspectives about the artwork.”
Philadelphia Museum of Art creatively integrated music and poetry with their 2019 Slow Art Day in celebration of National Poetry Month.
“Since poems slow us down to consider individual words, phrases, and the structure of language, we thought this would be a great way to encourage slow looking,” said Greg Stuart, Museum Educator and Public Programs Coordinator.
Slow Art Day participants were asked to focus on a single work of art for 45 minutes while experiencing an in-gallery music performance. They were then also encouraged to participate in poetry writing workshops and a bookmaking program.
Candy Alexandra Gonzalez, a local poet and visual artist, encouraged participants to create a collaborative book by writing and drawing about things in their lives that they wished moved at a slower pace.
Collaborative book created by Slow Art Day participants.
One visitor said:
“This was great for me and my eight year old daughter. It helped us look at the art more closely and talk about it together. Thank you!”
We couldn’t be happier to hear of such a successful multimedia, multi-sensory Slow Art Day, and look forward to what the Philadelphia Art Museum creates for Slow Art Day 2020.
The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne, Australia hosted a successful first Slow Art Day in 2019 with the newly opened solo exhibit Tom Nicholson: Public Meeting. Shannon Lyons, Educator and Program Coordinator, and Eliza Devlin, Education’s Manager, guided participants through an hour of slow observation of four specific artworks by the internationally renowned Australian artist. Afterwards, they spent 30 minutes discussing the links they discovered between the artworks, and how the experience of slow-looking brought new aspects to the surface that only emerged over time.
“Tom Nicholson: Public Meeting” installation view at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane. Photograph: Shannon Lyons
Shannon Lyons, Educator and Program Coordinator, reported:
Everyone felt calm and relaxed afterward. From an educator’s perspective, it was interesting to note the kinds of questions that the Slow Art Day participants had about the artist and about the artworks. Thanks for having ACCA take part in this world wide event!
We thank The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art for their participation this year, and look forward to seeing their Slow Art Day event in 2020!
Cincinnati Art Museum’s 7th Slow Art Day engaged five senses as the museum staff creatively combined scents, food, music, touchable objects, and color filters to enhance the overall experience.
Visitors mimicking brushstrokes within the artwork
In the webinar, Sara spoke about how engaging all the senses helps participants look at art in a new way, and how it brings a pleasant and unexpected element to the visitor experience.
We look forward to Cincinnati Art Museum’s continued leadership and creative design for their Slow Art Day in 2020!
