WHAT IS SLOW ART DAY?

Did you know that the average time spent viewing a work of art is only 7 seconds? Slow Art Day is a worldwide movement to encourage slow looking and attempt to break down the barriers between the general public and the gallery setting.

On the second Saturday of April every year, galleries and museums all over the world host Slow Art Day events where participants spend one hour looking at five pre-selected art works, followed by lunch and an open discussion about the art they’ve seen and how they’ve experienced it. The idea is that anyone can appreciate art and have something valuable to say about it, regardless of their level of knowledge about art or art history.

We have participants who have attended year after year, as well as a few new faces each year – one of my favourite things about the discussion portion of Slow Art Day is hearing how everyone’s various backgrounds influence their opinions on art. We often look at a wide variety of work in terms of material, period, and style, which can be intimidating – especially for people who may not have any kind of arts background! But I have found that by the end of the day, most people can find something to appreciate about each of the five pieces of artwork, even though they may not prefer a specific style or period of art.