Tag Archives: Ireland

Mindfulness at the Butler Gallery in Ireland

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For their fourth Slow Art Day, the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland – a gallery dedicated to contemporary Irish and international art – invited visitors to slow down and connect with artwork from their collection as part of a focused tour and mindfulness event.

Mindfulness practitioner Dee Hennessy started the event by leading a guided meditation.

Then Jean Mann, Assistant Learning and Public Engagement Curator, facilitated a slow looking session in one of the smaller collection galleries, a wing dedicated to the self-taught Irish painter, Tony O’Malley (see photos below).

Following the concentrated slow looking, Mann then led participants in a discussion about their responses to O’Malley’s art.

Tony O’Malley, Bahamas Obeah Sign, 1985
Acrylic, grit & needles on canvas
48” x 72”,122 x 183cm    
Tony O’Malley, Bahamas Obeah Sign, 1985
Acrylic, grit & needles on canvas
48” x 72”,122 x 183cm    

We at Slow Art Day HQ love slow looking at O’Malley’s work and look forward to what the Butler Gallery comes up with for 2024.

— Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, Phyl

P.S. Follow The Butler Gallery on their social media: Instagram | Facebook | X

Meditative Slow Art Day 2019 at Butler Gallery

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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 Paper by 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.

– Ashley

Ulster – 5th Slow Art Day

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At the Ulster Museum, Slow Art Day 2019 guides took visitors through the works of Belfast-born artist Gerard Dillon, the British Vorticist movement, and then finished with a screening and discussion of a video art installation examining the political confusion of Brexit by Cornelia Parker – ‘Left, Right & Centre.’

Slow looking at the Ulster Museum’s 5th annual Slow Art Day event.

The museum reports the event was quite successful – they had both more staff and more public participation than ever before. They were also proud to have their Slow Art Day event featured by the BBC alongside Tate Modern, Ashmolean Museum (Oxford), Photographer’s Gallery, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Because of the success of their Slow Art Day annual events, the Ulster Museum now runs a monthly ‘Slow Art Sunday.’ They also integrate slow looking sessions into nearly all their new art exhibitions.

Thanks to the Slow Art Team for organizing such a brilliant global event – an event that has now become a regular and important part of our programming.

Charlotte McReynolds, Art Curator, National Museums Northern Ireland

Phil