READY SET S L O W International Slow Art Day

Come to Ellie Harold Art Studio & Gallery on April 15 between 12 and 4 p.m. for Ready, Set, SLOW, an experience of Slow Looking!

Saturday, April 15, Ellie Harold Studio & Gallery in Frankfort presents “Ready, Set, S  L  O  W,”  as one of more than 120 museums and galleries participating in the international Slow Art Day 2023.

Slow Art Day was first launched in 16 countries in 2009 by Phil Terry, founder of Reading Odyssey, a global non-profit. Terry was inspired by research that shows that a museum goer spends an average of only 17.2 seconds looking at a painting, a figure that includes even the most famous works such as the “Mona Lisa.” Slow Art Day events provide a setting that encourages engagement with art for more than the average length of time. Now, each year participating venues worldwide offer a variety of slow looking opportunities, usually consisting of looking at 3-5 works of art for a minimum of 10 minutes.

“I’m thrilled to be hosting a Slow Art Day event in my Studio & Gallery,” says Frankfort oil painter Ellie Harold. “An artist typically spends many hours creating a painting, only to have someone glance at it for a few seconds. Who hasn’t had the experience of walking through a museum and looking only briefly at a painting? We may stop to admire  for a moment, but mostly we just dismiss it by moving on to the next piece. Looking at it like this we rarely receive the full impact of a work of art.”

Ellie Harold is no stranger to slow looking.  “I first became aware of the Slow Art movement in 2018 when doing research for BIRDS FLY IN: A Human Refuge project which launched at the Oliver Art Center in August, 2020. We designed the Refuge Structure with a central seating bench to accommodate slow looking and directed visitors to look slowly while listening to the soundtrack music. People frequently commented that viewing the art in this way was ‘moving and powerful.’”

The poetry included in the BIRDS FLY IN installation was also created in slow looking  sessions. Harold remembers, “One of the poets remarked how initially she didn’t like the painting she’d chosen to look at, but after sitting with it for several minutes, she began to appreciate elements she hadn’t noticed at first. By the end of the viewing session, she’d received insights she then captured in a short poem.”

At Ellie’s Studio & Gallery, visitors will have the opportunity to spend at least 10 minutes with 5 paintings from her private collection. Suggestions for how to spend the “slow looking” period will be provided. Following the viewing session, participants will have the option to write about their experience and/or meet in a small group to discuss it.

“Ready, Set, S  L  O  W”  will take place throughout the afternoon between 12 and 4 p.m. at the Ellie Harold Studio & Gallery, 402 Forest Avenue. Participants will be asked to maintain silence during the viewing and  to disable cellular devices. This free event is open to the public but may not be suitable for children.

To learn more about International Slow Art Day, visit www.SlowArtDay.com. For more information about the local event, contact Ellie Harold via her website www.EllieHarold.com, or call 231 352 6213.