The annual event celebrating art.
Slow Art Day is Saturday, April 10, 2021 Join Us!
Photo by Greg Neville
Red Zenith asks: What is Your Definition of Slow Art?
July 29th, 2021For their first Slow Art Day, the online platform Red Zenith Collective launched on April 10, 2021 the project ‘What is Your Definition of Slow Art?‘ with a day-long series of four virtual activities dedicated to the meaning and potential of slow art.
These activities included:
- An Instagram interview about slow art and sustainability.
- A downloadable PDF with slow looking prompts, available to participants throughout the day.
- A collaborative video project: ‘What is Your Definition of Slow Art?‘
- An art meditation on the painting ‘Flamenco Singer‘ (Sonia Delaunay, 1916).
Red Zenith Collective was founded by two Polish artists, Marta Grabowska and Zula Rabikowska as a platform for women, female-identifying and non-binary creatives with a link to Central and Eastern Europe. The Slow Art Day event was conceptualized and realized by Marta Grabowska, who is also a slow art activist.
Participants were first invited to watch an Instagram interview on definitions of slow art, including how to cultivate sustainability of slow looking in art and curatorship. Marta Grabowska interviewed Veronika Cechova and Tereza Jindrova, curators at the Entrance Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic – the first artistic space in Prague to include ecological sustainability and the environment in its long-term program.
Watch the recorded interview here.
Grawbowska also created a terrific ‘Guide to Slow Looking: Slow Art Exercises – Pandemic Edition.’ We highly recommend all Slow Art Day educators and curators take a look at this and learn from her approach.
The final event of the day was a Zoom art meditation on the painting ‘Flamenco Singer‘ by a Russian-French artist Sonia Delaunay. The meditation was the first in a series of art meditations written by Grabowska, who wrote the script. The meditation lasted 20 minutes and was scripted based on primary and secondary sources of the artists and their work.
Participants loved the program, and left very positive feedback:
Shane Hart
Amazing way to focus your attention and learn a bit of art history.
Julia
A very memorable experience. Allowed me to be mindful and really enjoy the vibrant artwork.
Anonymous
Great idea to marry meditation practices and art! I want more!
Anonymous
I wasn’t sure what to expect, as the name of the artist was not released until the last minute, but it was a gorgeous experience. The koshi bells were mesmerising! Both the writer and the provider are very knowledgeable and managed to create an alternative education setting that captivated us greatly!
At Slow Art Day HQ, we are impressed by and excited to learn more about Marta Grabowska’s ongoing research – perhaps even as part of the 2022 Red Zenith Collective Slow Art Day!
– Johanna, Jessica, Ashley, Phyl
Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art Hosts First Slow Art Day
July 26th, 2021For their first Slow Art Day, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art (AKMA), in St Joseph, Missouri, invited visitors to slowly look at three works of art:
- Frederick Judd Waugh, “Ladies Having Tea,” 1890. Oil on canvas.
- Emily Dubowski, “Sunday Visit,” 1972. Acrylic on panel.
- Luis Jimenez, “Eagle and Snake II,” 2008. Lintograph.
The museum had planned for participants to look at these three works of art for 10 minutes each, then meet to discuss the experience for 45 minutes together with a docent. However, circumstances caused them to quickly change their strategy.
First, many of the volunteer docents decided to self-isolate due to the pandemic, so at the last minute Jill Carlson, Marketing & Communications Manager, and her partner decided to lead the event. Fortunately, Carlson had previously participated in a Slow Art Day at BOZAR in Brussels a few years ago. That experience had inspired her to design the event at AKMA and made it easier for her to jump in and host the day.
It also likely made it easier for her to contend with the second change: a group of prom-going teenagers and their families showed up. For this tuxedo- and ballgown-clad audience, Carlson redesigned Slow Art Day on the fly and ended up giving brief information and suggestions for slow looking in front of each artwork. And the teenagers loved it (and we know how hard it can be to engage teenagers).
We’ll also note that Carlson and her team did a good job marketing Slow Art Day. In addition to the museum’s calendar of events, they advertised on their Facebook and Instagram pages and generated coverage in two local news outlets – The Savannah Reporter and Flatland (perhaps this is how the prom goers ended up coming).
They also created a simple brochure directing participants to the three artworks (see below).
At Slow Art Day HQ we are really impressed with Carlson and her team’s commitment to Slow Art Day and to pivoting quickly at the last moment.
We look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day in 2022.
– Johanna, Jessica, Ashley and Phyl
Marionettes and More at Ur Mara Museoa
July 15th, 2021For their 7th annual event, Ur Mara Museoa in Alkiza, Spain — which always creates one of the most innovative Slow Art Day extravaganzas in the world — invited local and international artists and performers to present art on the theme of nature and sustainability.
Their 2021 Slow Art Day featured performances and presentations by:
- Painters Idoia Iturri, Diana Vasina and Bea Gonzalez Rojo,
- Maria Giró Coll, a Catalan artist and cultural mediator, presented a sculpture by Jose Perez Ocaña, a Spanish artist who visited Alkiza in 1983
- Marionette artist Corrado Massaci (watch some of it in the video below)
The artists observed each other’s work, and shared opinions and reflections with the participants.
Below we provide photographs, details and videos about each of the performances, starting with the painter Idoia Iturri.
Idoia Iturri presented four art works, all created in 2021. Three of them form a trilogy named Pandemiaren Trilogia (Pandemic Trilogy). Haurtzaroa (Childhood), Maskara (Mask) and Duintasuna (Dignity). The fourth artwork is named Bizipoza (Joy of Life).
Diana Vasina presented four artworks created during the pandemic year, 2020-2021:
- Mirate Ojo (pantalla)
- MOVIMIENTO INTERMINABLE
- Densidad
- BIDEAN DENEAN BIDAIA
Beatriz González presented three art works from her TFG (final master’s thesis):
- ‘Abuhero’
- ‘Ehpurriajas’
- ‘Lombo’
Maria Giró Coll, a Catalan artist and cultural mediator, presented a sculpture by Jose Perez Ocaña, a Spanish artist who visited Alkiza in 1983.
Following the event, Ur Mara Museoa created a 50-second video showing sequences of art pieces and marionettes, as well as museum curators, artists, performers, and visitors interacting with one another (all at a safe distance and wearing face masks). We love the spirit and warmth that Ur Mara Museoa always brings to their daylong Slow Art Day festival.
35 people attended the event, which was promoted both on the museum’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. They received many likes on their IG posts. Read (in Basque) a great article about the event by the local newspaper.
Again, we at Slow Art Day HQ always look forward to what Ur Mara Museoa produces, and we hope to finally visit the museum next year, when we plan a European summer tour of Slow Art Day sites.
And we can’t wait to see what Ur Mara Museoa comes up with for 2022.
Johanna, Jessica, Ashley and Phyl
Meditative Slow Art Day at Grounds For Sculpture
July 8th, 2021For their first official Slow Art Day, Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton, New Jersey, hosted nearly 1,000 partipants and provided them with meditative prompts to use while slow-viewing the sculptures.
On April 10, all visitors were encouraged to do a slow looking activity using the following instructions created by Libby Vieira da Cunha, Manager of Group Visit and School Programs at Grounds For Sculpture:
1) Pick any sculpture on the grounds that interests you
2) Challenge yourself to look at the sculpture for 5 minutes – set a timer and allow yourself to slow down
3) While taking a slow look, ask yourself the following questions:
Observe
- Take a deep breath. Walk around the sculpture and let your eyes move slowly around the artwork – from where it touches the ground all the way up to the sky.
- What do you notice? Make three observations based on what you noticed.
Share
- Think of a story or experience this sculpture reminds you of – anything that comes to mind.
- Think of a friend that you want to share this sculpture with, why does this person come to mind?
Reflect
- What do you notice about the sculpture now that you did not see at first glance? How does this change your impression of the sculpture?
- If you’re with others share your responses with each other. Did they have similar or different thoughts on the sculpture?
Repeat
- If you’re up for the Slow Art Day challenge, then repeat this exercise with two other sculptures
- What new question might you pose for slow looking? Add it to your next slow look.
Throughout the day, facilitators also walked between different groups, inviting them to discuss the artwork ‘Dorian’ by artist Bruce Beasley (pictured below).
240 in x 360 in x 120 in. Courtesy of Grounds for Sculpture
Ahead of the event, it was advertised on Facebook and Instagram, receiving more than 600 likes from the public. The in-person activity was very well received, and experienced by a total of 952 visitors from across the country – from Arizona, California, Minnesota, and many states along the east coast.
Participants shared that they found the experience fun, stimulating, reflective, special, interesting, insightful, and meditative:
“The fact that you can see it (the artwork) from so many different perspectives makes it more beautiful.”
Slow Art Day Participant
“I felt a closer bond to my friend doing it as we expressed our experiences”
Slow Art Day Participant’s quote
“Allows for seeing hidden beauty”
Participant’s quote
“I was able to reflect and learn something new”
Slow Art Day Participant’s quote
At Slow Art Day HQ, we were excited to see Grounds for Sculpture bring out nearly 1,000 people for their first annual event. We also appreciated GFS’ enthusiasm, creativity and attention to detail. And their poster (pictured above) is terrific.
We can’t wait to see what they come up with for their second Slow Art Day in 2022.
Johanna, Jessica, and Ashley