Slow Art Day April 11, 2015

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”—Henry David Thoreau

Join a movement! Slow Art Day is an international event encouraging people of all ages to visit museums and to look at art slowly.

WHY:

• 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.

HOW IT WORKS:

Participants will look at five works of art for 15 minutes each and then meet together over lunch to talk about their experience. Simple by design, the goal is to focus on the art and the art of seeing. Don’t worry, museum staff will be present to provide you with artwork suggestions and questions to consider.

SCHEDULE:

11–11:15 a.m.: Check in
11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Look at five artworks for 15 minutes each
12:30–2 p.m.: Discuss and dine (buy your own lunch) at nearby Le Pain Quotidien

RESERVATIONS:

Reservations are recommended. This program is free with museum admission.

reserve your spot
– See more at: http://nmwa.org/events/slow-art-day#sthash.YNwz585R.dpuf

Here at Slow Art Day we focus on how visitors engage with physical works of art – how paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other media are perceived, considered, and experienced by the viewer. But in our digital age, museums are increasingly trying to deliver “snackable” digital content – short bursts of entertaining and enlightening information delivered through social media initiatives or interactive installations. In an article published by The Guardian earlier this week, Danny Birchall, Digital Manager at London’s Wellcome Collection, eloquently makes the case that digital or virtual engagements with artworks allow for the same unhurried, slow potential as physical interactions. Birchall writes, “[…] if museums can deliver snacks, why not three-course meals? Is there space in museums for slower and longer digital experiences for audiences to savour and enjoy?” Birchall uses the Wellcome Collection’s Mindcraft, an immersive and interactive tool that describes the history of hypnotism over the course of a six-chapter digital story, as a case study for his article. However, even the relatively long-form (for the digital realm) Mindcraft is only about 15 minutes long – a fraction of the length of your typical Slow Art Day event. Is this enough to ensure visitors’ full engagement with digital content? Can museums offer an immersive, engaging digital experience that avoids superficiality and truly deepens the visitor’s experience of a work of art without relying on gimmicks?

Read the article “Museums should make time for slower digital experiences” here

About the Event Date Apr 11 2015 Time 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Location Meet at the Information Desk in the lobby Admission Free with admission Reservations Recommended – See more at: http://nmwa.org/events/slow-art-day#sthash.YNwz585R.dpuf

http://www.slowartday.com/