Event
LUAG Community Day: Inside Out - Mindfulness with Shanthi Project
April 15, 2023 1:00PM to 3:00PM
LUAG Main Gallery
Join us for a unique adventure as we dive into works of art from the LUAG collection and experience them from the inside out. Dr. Kristin Baxter will guide us through an exploration of the senses to experience works of art in new and exciting ways that will help us understand the connection between art, well-being and mindfulness. This workshop is offered in conjunction with Slow Art Day, a global event with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. Participants will create their own mindfulness journal.
LUAG Community Workshops offer opportunities to explore great works of art from the LUAG collection and current exhibitions through conversation, hands-on projects, and sketching. Geared to children ages 4 to 12 and their adult companions, however, all ages are welcome.
Dr. Kristin Baxter, Teaching Artist
Fom 2009-2022, Dr. Kristin Baxter was an Associate Professor of Art and Director of the Art Education Program at Moravian University in Bethlehem. Like so many of us, the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to re-evaluate her career goals and professional journey. So, while she was gearing up to earn full professor status at Moravian, she decided to leave it all behind and focus on her most meaningful work: teaching young children and adolescents and supporting their parents, teachers, and communities. As she finds her new footing, she is currently a Building Substitute Teacher for the Allentown Public School District, where she has been working as a semi-permanent substitute teacher for a 3rd grade class. At the same time, she is pursuing her Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Teacher Certification.
In 2016, Dr. Baxter earned her Yoga Teacher Certification (RYT-200) from the Yoga Loft in Bethlehem and soon began a collaboration with Shanti Project, a non-profit organization based in Allentown, that provides mindfulness training to yoga teachers. As a freelance Shanti Project teacher, she teaches mindfulness and art at the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem and during special events at Lehigh University Art Galleries.
She completed her B.A. degree at New York University in Liberal Arts; M.A. degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Case Western Reserve University in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art; and Ed.D. in Art and Art Education from Teachers College Columbia University in New York City.
Dr. Baxter has taught art to children, teens, families and teachers at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Children’s Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art, and Lehman College Art Gallery, in the Bronx, New York. Prior to her work at Moravian University, she was as an adjunct professor of art education and art history at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madision, NJ; Kean Univeristy in Union, NJ; and Lorain County Community College in Ohio. Her most recent book is "Creating Vibrant Art Lesson Plans: A Teacher's Sketchbook" (2019), published by Teachers College Columbia University. Dr. Baxter also is a professional artist and exhibits her work regionally. She lives in the Lehigh Valley with her retired, rescue racing greyhound, Marv Levy, and two rescue cats, James and Knoebi (found wandering around at Knoebels Amusement Park).
Workshop offered in partnership with Shanthi Project.
Slow Art Day is a global event with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art.
On April 15, 2023, LUAG, along with museums across the world, from the United States to Germany, Zambia, China, Brazil, France, El Salvador, Britain, Ukraine, and many other countries, will invite people in their communities to hit the pause button. Visitors will gather inside virtual spaces to take part in international Slow Art Day and slow down as they look at art.
The average person looks at a painting for fifteen to thirty seconds, but on Slow Art Day, we urge visitors to spend 5 to 10 minutes closely examining a work of art – or longer if the work captivates and inspires them.
Why slow? When people look slowly at a piece of art they make discoveries. The most important discovery they make is that they can see and experience art without an expert (or expertise). And that’s an exciting discovery. It unlocks passion and creativity and helps to create more art lovers. Visit the Slow Art Day website for more programs and information.
LUAG Community Days offer opportunities to drop-in to the galleries to explore great works of art from the LUAG collection and current exhibitions through conversation, hands-on projects, and sketching. Geared to children ages 4 to 94 and their adult companions.
