Keighley, UK – Cliffe Castle Museum
Minneapolis, MN – Weisman Art Museum
Rockland St Mary, UK – Burning Bush Barn Contemplative Art Space
Newark, DE – Mechanical Hall Gallery at the University of Delaware’s Library, Museums & Press
Angers, France – Atelier Les Iles Balladart
Richmond, VA – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Slow Down with Women Artists
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is a longtime leader in the Slow Art Day movement, and they are hosting again this year. Based in Washington, DC, this wonderful institution takes seriously how to help its audience learn how to slow down and really see art by women.
On their Slow Art Day page, they begin by quoting the wonderful Georgia O’Keeffe:
“…to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time”
—Georgia O’Keeffe
We couldn’t agree more. Good friendships require time and so does the art of looking at art.
The museum also suggests several other reasons people should participate in Slow Art Day:
- To break out of your typical “go, go, go” routine.
- To learn about yourself, fellow participants, and the creative expressions of women artists.
- To make discoveries about and forge connections with artwork.
For Slow Art Day, their staff will make artwork suggestions and provide questions to consider as you slow down and look.
So, if you are based in DC, or traveling there on Slow Art Day 2018, we hope you will consider going to the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
You can register here for their event, which is free with museum admission.
Rubin Museum’s Tips for Slow Looking
The Rubin Museum in New York has been a longtime leader in the Slow Art Day movement.
In 2016, they published a terrific article with tips on slow looking. You can read the article here:
SLOW ART DAY: MAKE YOUR NEXT MUSEUM VISIT MORE MINDFUL
The Rubin understands how hard it is for most people to slow down. “It’s not easy for most people to sit with one piece of art for more than a few moments.”
They emphasize that this activity, if practiced continuously, will bring great joy for decades. “…the deep looking encouraged during Slow Art Day is a lifelong skill that will continue to provide rewarding experiences in museums and galleries for years to come.”
We couldn’t agree more.
We think this simple concept is important – especially in this age of multi-tasking where the emphasis is placed on speed. We started Slow Art Day in 2009 to provoke a new way of seeing in the midst of the blindness that this screen-based world is creating.
The Rubin Museum is hosting Slow Art Day again this year – if you’re in the New York area, we hope you’ll join them!
New Zealand has joined Slow Art Day 2018!
We are happy to welcome the Waikato Museum in Hamilton, New Zealand to Slow Art Day 2018.
One of the things we love the most about Slow Art Day is that it brings together hundreds of museums and thousands of people from institutions like the Tate Modern (they are a longtime participant) in London to museums like the Waikato in New Zealand.
On the banks of the Waikato River in the heart of Hamilton’s south-end cultural precinct, the Waikato features 13 galleries and more than 25 new exhibitions and 100 public events annually.
On April 14, people all over the world – now including Hamilton, New Zealand – will be coming together to learn how to slow down and discover how to really see art.
We think this simple concept is important – especially in this age of multi-tasking where the emphasis is placed on speed.
We started Slow Art Day in 2009 to challenge the blindness that this screen-based world is creating.
We hope you’ll participate in Slow Art Day this year either as a visitor (see all Slow Art Day 2018 venues here), or, if you work for a museum or gallery, by signing up to host a Slow Art Day event.