Philadelphia Museum of Art Combines Poetry, Music, and Visual Art
June 26th, 2019Philadelphia 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.
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.
Ashley
Successful first Slow Art Day at The ACCA
June 24th, 2019The 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.
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!
Ashley
Cincinnati Slow Art Day Engages All Senses
June 19th, 2019Cincinnati 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.
Sara Birkofer, Cincinnati Art Museum’s Manager of Accessibility & Gallery Programs, recently led a Slow Art Day webinar on designing multi-sensory visitor experiences.
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!
Ashley
QUT Art Museum’s Slow Art Day 2019: “Want more!”
June 18th, 2019QUT Art Museum and their sister gallery, William Robinson Gallery, joined Slow Art Day for the first time in 2019, and according to their visitor survey, people left the museum and gallery wanting more.
Two of Queensland, Australia’s premier visual art institutions, QUT Art Museum and William Robinson Gallery asked participants to look slowly at five selected pieces in the exhibition Exchange value, which offered documentary photography by Gavin Watson.
Participants spent at least 10 minutes viewing and discussing each of the artworks with Sarah Barron, Public Programs Officer at QUT Art Museum.
Here’s what some of the participants said:
“Slow Art Day is such a great idea. Wonderful to take time to absorb and chat about the artworks.”
“Wonderful and insightful time. It opens up the art world to spend time with others discussing the works.”
“Loved it. Informative and reflected everyone’s ‘way of seeing’ the photographs.”
“Fun!“
“Marvelous! Amazing! Beyond!“
“What a great event – want more!“
We look forward to seeing what more QUT Art Museum has in store for Slow Art Day 2020.
Ashley