Saturday, April 17, 2010
Slow Art
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
11:00AM - 12:30PM - art viewing, 1:00PM -2:30PM Lunch at the Cafe

Host:
Annabel Baxter

Annabel is an experienced volunteer guide, with a Masters degree in art history and a passion for sharing the Gallery's collection with the people - from first-time visitors to regulars. Our volunteer guides are experts in promoting slow, considered and accessible looking at art. Annabel will select three works from diverse parts of our collection (just to keep you guessing!), spanning Australian, Asian and Aboriginal art. It promises to be a fun and inspiring session!

Fee: Entry to the Art Gallery of New South Wales permanent collection is always free, but you will need to buy your own lunch.

Slow Art Day 2010 * Cities and info * Host Slow Art * Reviews * Press * Photos
Slow Art Day is a project of the nonprofit Reading Odyssey, Inc.  Sign-up for our e-mail newsletter.

1. What is Slow Art Day?

Run by volunteer hosts around the world, Slow Art is a global grassroots movement aimed at helping people see art in a new way. Our mission is to reach people who are *not* regular museumgoers (and include those that are). We want to create the context for Slow Art participants to have a better experience visiting their local museums. 

In Slow Art, we slow the experience down. We encourage people to spend 5 or 10 minutes or more looking at a piece of art. The result is that participants get "inspired not tired" and want to return again and again. 

2. Why was Slow Art Day started?

To improve the experience of looking at art.

Most people who visit museums go only once every two years or so for the blockbuster exhibits (and that's only those who do attend - many never go to a museum at all). But, those who do visit skip through the museum and typically see each piece of work only briefly (some estimates say *8* seconds only). At the end of the visit, they are often tired and grumpy and not inclined to visit again. 

Museums have spent the time and money to build these wonderful collections of art. Slow Art aims only to help more people enjoy those collections.

3. How does it work?

It's simple:

- Participants register for Slow Art Day through the web - http://www.SlowArtDay.com 
- Then, they meet at their local museum at the appointed hour on Saturday, April 17, 2010  (and pay the fee for admission if there is one)
- They look at a few pieces of art for 5 or 10 minutes each (the pieces are pre-selected by the volunteer host)
- And, to finish, they have lunch with other participants to talk about their experience

4. How many cities and museums are participating in Slow Art Day April 17, 2010?

From Boston and Boca Raton to Belgrade and Sao Paulo, LA and Jakarta, Slow Art Days are happening everywhere.

To see the latest list of cities click here:
http://www.facebook.com/SlowArt?v=app_10442206389

5. Do the participants like it?

"I was inspired, not tired!"

To be honest, we were surprised by how much people loved it. We thought it was a good idea but we really had no notion how well it would be received.

Read some testimonials for yourself:
http://www.facebook.com/SlowArt?v=app_6261817190 

6. Who started Slow Art? Who runs it?

Reading Odyssey - a New York-based nonprofit - started Slow Art in the summer of 2009 as an experiment. The first Slow Art day in October 2009 was so successful that we decided to expand and continue Slow Art in 2010. If you are interested in writing about Slow Art or want more information, then contact Reading Odyssey cofounder and chairman (and Slow Art founder), Phil Terry at pterry at reading odyssey dot com.

Slow Art is run entirely by volunteers and is one of the many free programs hosted by the nonprofit Reading Odyssey. Reading Odyssey programs aim to reignite curiosity. 

7. Reading Odyssey newsletter

To keep informed of Slow Art Day and the other activities of the Reading Odyssey, please sign up for the Reading Odyssey newsletter here: