Slow Art Day

April 2^nd every year is Slow Art Day, a global celebration in order to help people found themselves to get more joy of seeing and loving art. When people slowly look at a work of art, they make discoveries.

History of Slow Art Day

In 2008, Phil Terry had a visit to the Jewish Museum in New York, and instead of trying to see everything; he was attracted by two paintings named: Hans Hoffman's Fantasia and Jackson Pollock's Convergence.

He would like to find out what would happen if he looked at art slowly and carefully.

He discovered that by spending time with these paintings, he made a deeper connection with them. He also found that when he looked slowly at a work of art, he discovered that he knew how to see and experience art without the need for an expert (or any expertise).

This experiment has grown into an annual event for all volunteers with hundreds of international museums and galleries participating. What all the events have in common is their focus on slow vision and how it can transform the way you look at art.

The idea is simple: see five works of art for 10 minutes each as an individual, with a group of friends, or attend an event at a museum or in a video recording or online tutorial. .

Some locations choose five works of art; others may focus on just one or two, while others will offer a wider selection.

Then discuss your experience if it is just you and a friend, go to lunch together to discuss your experience.

Think about: Have you had a similar experience? Did you notice the difference?

On the other hand, you can engage in an educator-led discussion with each piece of art. This last part is up to you or the venue where you join.

Some numbers of Slow Art Day

• More than 1,400 Slow Art Day events have taken place since it official launched in 2010
• Slow Art Day events took place on all seven continents, including Antarctica
• There are approximately 700 locations including museums, galleries, artist studios, sculpture parks, public art venues, and more have celebrated Slow Art Day both in person and online

Slow Art Day and me

I first became interested in looking back while developing a new educational program for elementary school children at the Tropenmuseum in 2011.

I am developing a method that uses habitual thinking (from Visible Thinking) in combination with museum educational methods and have noticed how this helps students structure to see objects in a coherent way. Carefully and slowly, while understanding and building meaning.

With this method, we had students’ ages 5-18 look intently at objects and art in the museum for 15-20 minutes at a time - a case in point where the more you look, the more you find.

At first, teachers are often surprised that their students only explore 3-4 objects in a 90-minute program, but are surprised that they remain engaged and curious throughout the program.

During my research for my master's thesis in 2011/2012, I discovered Slow Art Day. After having a detailed conversation with Phil Terry via Skype, I decided to join to learn more on this day. As the Netherlands Regional Coordinator, I actively promote the event and encourage more museums and Dutch people to participate.