Slow Art Day is today all over the world!
April 28th, 2012Slow Art Day 2012 is today, Saturday, April 28.
Events have already occurred in China, India, and all over Australia. As I write this, Slow Art Day events are happening in Rome, Paris, London, Copenhagen and all over Europe.
Slow Art Day events are about to start in North and South America.
Have a good and slow day of looking and loving art.
- Phil
Phil Terry
Founder, Slow Art Day
P.S. If you need anything or have any questions about today’s events, get in touch via e-mail here.
Slow Art Day Video
April 27th, 2012Watch
Created by Scribbler’s Club, hosts for Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Slow Art Day.
Mim Scalin: American Art Focus for Slow Art Day
April 26th, 2012
Mim Scalin is an artist who teaches workshops on creativity at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art studio school using Mail Art as the medium. An active member of the International Union of Mail Artists, which connects her with people throughout the world, this is her first time hosting Slow Art Day.
Slow Art Day: What does Slow Art Day mean to you and why did you get involved?
Mim: This is my first time as a host for Slow Art day. My son told me about it and I thought, “wow, like the Slow Food movement. This will be great fun.” Slowing down to participate in something seems like a good idea at a time when we all seem to be have a lot going on and rarely slow down.
Slow Art Day: What’s one artwork that has had a big impact on you?
Mim: I grew up in Chicago and was often taken to the Chicago Art Institute as a child. Among the many fabulous works of art, I saw Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by Seurat, and I think that had a big influence on me. I was fascinated by how the artist could create something like this, and I wanted to make art, too.
Slow Art Day: Tell us about your Slow Art Day event.
Mim: I really enjoy the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and I go there lots since it’s near my home. The museum has undergone a major renovation recently and there are works on display now that I’d never seen before, or perhaps hadn’t paid attention to.
I’ve chosen 5 works from the American collection. I included 3 portraits, a landscape and a still-life. Most of the artists are not well-known, which is a benefit as the work will be “fresh.” I went many times over the past couple of months trying to limit choices. I had a friend join me and we had the best time looking at work slowly and determining the final selection.
After viewing the work, we’ll meet up at the museum cafe for lunch and share the experience of viewing art slowly.
Join Mim to peruse American Art for Slow Art Day in Richmond, Virginia, Saturday, April 28, 2012.
ikono TV Presents ‘Virtual Slow Art Day’
April 26th, 2012Our sponsor and partner, ikon TV, has created a 4 minute “virtual Slow Art Day” video that they are showing as part of their Slow Art Day programming in Germany and the Middle East.
Watch their “Virtual Slow Art Day” video here (note: there is *no* sound intentionally)
And here’s Ikono TV’s description of their video and their commitment to Slow Art Day:
“Let’s take a closer look – like all art, we can understand it better when we look more closely.” This love for detail and contemplative, decelerated experience of art is something we – ikono – stand for. Just like the Slow Art Day initiative, ikono invites people to experience art as a pure visual experience at home thanks to its two TV channels broadcasting now in 25 countries, spreading therefore the Slow Art Day mission to the largest possible audience – even outside of art institutions.
On the occasion of this year’s Slow Art Day on April 28th, ikono presents two themed programs: Miniature and Calligraphy in art. Both represent two classical forms or artistic practice in the Menasa region – the region ikono was launched in a few years ago. Both miniature and calligraphy require the viewer to slow down in order to discover details and to decipher.
The word “miniature” comes from the Latin word “miniare”, which means to color with red lead and was used for the capital letters. Miniatures were first used as decoration of hand-written books. We show a range of the traditional miniature paintings from the Ottoman, Persian, Asian and European heritage.
In addition, we present also the “conceptual idea of much-smaller-than-usual sizes” in painting, photography, sculpture, installation works and other forms of contemporary art.
A number of cultures throughout the world draw upon calligraphy as a prominent source of artistic practice from ancient times to most recent contemporary styles and movements. Calligraphy has also arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art. Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy is associated with abstract arabesque motives on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions in their work. The calligraphy special presents traditional and contemporary works of different artistic backgrounds.
ikonoTV is a new platform proposing an alternative to museums and galleries – as it goes beyond the limitations of space and time frames. In Berlin, a team consisting of artists, art historians, filmmakers, art critics and curators from over a dozen different nationalities, is working together to find new ways of showcasing visual arts.
In late 2010, ikono launched its art channel ikonoMenasa: the first TV channel solely devoted to art. ikonoMenasa runs 24 hours every day with no commercial breaks, no added sound or narrative in 24 countries throughout the Menasa region – the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
In December 2011, ikonoTV was launched in Germany as a second channel – bringing this unique, contemplative way of experiencing art to the German public.
For more information, please visit us at www.ikono.org