The annual event celebrating art.
Slow Art Day is Saturday, April 11, 2026 Join Us!
Photo by Greg Neville
Guided Slow Looking and Drawing at the National Gallery of Canada
May 21st, 2026The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, hosted its fourth annual Slow Art Day on April 11, 2026. Andrea Gumpert, Educator of Wellbeing Programs, led the efforts for this year’s event, which invited visitors to either participate in a guided onsite experience, watch a guided slow looking video from home, or engage independently with a bilingual handout that encouraged them to “Slow Down. Reflect. Discover. Engage.”
A mix of English- and French-speaking participants joined Interpreter-Guides Taylor Simard and Eddie Schmidt for an hour-long onsite guided slow looking session. The groups began with a warm-up and introductory conversation about the purpose of slowing down.
Participants then spent five minutes looking at a chosen artwork, followed by a group discussion. They then moved to a different gallery where they repeated the exercise. Following that, participants were invited to explore the museum and select additional artworks for further slow looking. Some explored Indigenous and Canadian galleries, while others gravitated to the European galleries. They were offered folding stools for comfort, and pencils, paper, and sketch boards, many of which were used for drawing.
During the facilitated sessions, the Interpreter-Guides used open-ended prompt questions to facilitate discussion, including: “What is your first impression? Why did you choose this work?” and “Can you associate a word or an emotion to this artwork?” They also encouraged participants to reflect on what the artwork told them about themselves and to jot down a memory or sketch something simple.
Guide Eddie Schmidt noted that participants were “chatty and had great observations, discussion,” while Taylor Simard observed that several participants were “locked in” for the full ten minutes of observation. Both said that participants truly enjoyed the experience, and would return for the Gallery’s monthly Guided Slow Looking Sunday program.
That’s wonderful. Back in 2010, we set a key goal of the Slow Art Day movement: use the annual day to encourage museums to adopt year-round programming and many have like the National Gallery of Canada.
We think this kind of device-off, intensive, real-space experience with other humans is just what our fractured world needs.
The Gallery also did some great outreach. The Visitor Services team distributed the bilingual Slow Looking handout to 59 groups. The Marketing team created a one-minute guided slow looking video, as noted earlier, that was published on Facebook and Instagram, and was later uploaded to the Gallery’s Guided Slow Looking Sunday page.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are grateful to Andrea Gumpert, Taylor Simard, Eddie Schmidt, and the entire team at the National Gallery of Canada for their continued dedication to our movement and we look forward to seeing what they design for Slow Art Day 2027.
— Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. View them on their website.
Family Slow Drawing at Wiregrass Museum of Art in Alabama
May 19th, 2026The Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan, Alabama, celebrated its sixth Slow Art Day on April 11, 2026, though this doesn’t tell the whole story. Dana Marie Lemmer, the Executive Director of the museum, played a key role as (volunteer) Director of Global Operators in the Slow Art Day movement from 2012 to 2014.
This year, Dana’s colleague, Janin Wise, Art Educator and School Programs & Volunteer Coordinator, hosted the Slow Art Day event using both facilitated discussion and drawing exercises.
Wise invited guests to sit with her for guided slow looking in chairs around a bench in the Marie Saliba Gallery. She started the process by asking “What first caught your eye?”, then by scanning for color and composition, and discussing the artist’s hand.
The featured artworks included:
- “Lilly, 2022” by Sam Gilliam, an acrylic with sawdust, encaustic, and polypropylene on canvas with beveled-edge stretcher
- “Magnitude of Regions, 1962” by Alice Trumbull Mason, an oil on canvas
- “Prelude on Gray, 1982” by Richard Crist, an acrylic on canvas
- “Untitled, 1960” by Angelo Granata, an ink on paper
- “High Beams, 2020” by Derek Cracco, an acrylic on panel
One family with a 17-year-old daughter was drawn to the texture and color of Gilliam’s “Lilly.” When discussing Alice Trumbull Mason’s “Magnitude of Regions,” the mother expressed both empathy, seeing “sunlight through dark curtains”, and hope, after learning the artist made the work after her son’s death.
At the same time, a Korean American family, participated with an older brother translating for his mother and nonverbal younger brother. That family also appreciated the color and texture, and the geometry of Mason’s piece. Everyone who participated were astonished to learn they could literally see the artist’s hand in Gilliam’s work.
For Derek Cracco’s “High Beams,” a drawing exercise was introduced that led to laughter and discussions about childhood art classes and local art opportunities. Participants folded paper into quarters and completed four different drawing tasks:
- a 10-second quick sketch
- drawing with their non-dominant hand
- drawing without looking at the paper
- a continuous line drawing where they imagined changes in time or space
Janin Wise noted that participants were surprised by how relaxing it was to spend so much time with a few pieces of art. Visitors were delighted by the calm, guided slow looking relaxing and by their newfound ability to notice new details and use their imaginations to step into the artwork.
Most did not typically consider themselves “abstract art kind of people” and yet, by slowing down, they thoroughly enjoyed the art.
Yes! That is exactly the kind of discovery Slow Art Day we hope people make.
It turns out that by simply slowing down, participants can find a new relationship to art, including art they may think they don’t like, or don’t understand.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are grateful to Janin Wise and the Wiregrass Museum of Art for their continued dedication to our slow looking movement. We look forward to seeing what they create for Slow Art Day 2027.
— Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. View them on Instagram and their website.
Self-Guided Slow Looking and Activities at Art Gallery of St. Albert in Canada
May 17th, 2026The Art Gallery of St. Albert in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, hosted its seventh Slow Art Day on April 11, 2026. Director Leah Louden and her team encouraged visitors to engage deeply with art through a variety of self-guided activities. The event focused on the current main exhibition, “Ephemeral Language / Langue éphémère” by Sébastien Gaudette, and the staircase feature exhibition, “Knotty Enigmas” by Zana Wensel.
Upon arrival, visitors were invited to use a Slow Looking Guide drafted by the Curator to practice slow looking while exploring the current exhibitions. Staff were on hand to provide additional information.
Visitors of all ages were also invited to participate in several additional activities:
– An iSpy activity encouraged close observation to identify detail shots of 12 artworks throughout the building.
– For the “Ephemeral Language / Langue éphémère” exhibition, an activity booklet offered drawing and educational activities such as drawing a paper illusion, completing a word search, or crafting a paper balloon.
– A drop-in Art Nook activity, called “Creative Crumples,” invited participants to create imaginative drawings from crumpled paper.
Light refreshments were also available, encouraging guests to linger and slowly enjoy the artwork. The event was promoted through their website and social media, and a total of 37 people attended.
One of Sébastien Gaudette’s artworks, “Langage éphémère,” a 2026 paper installation from the “Ephemeral Language / Langue éphémère” exhibition, was featured in an Art Minute video prior to Slow Art Day. This piece was chosen to highlight how a seemingly simplistic artwork could reveal its complexity and beauty through close, slow looking. Guests were surprised by the material of many artworks in Gaudette’s exhibition.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are grateful to Leah Louden and the Art Gallery of St. Albert for their continued dedication to fostering deep engagement with art and were impressed by their innovative self-guided activities. We look forward to seeing what they create for Slow Art Day 2027.
— Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. View them on their website and Instagram.
Slow Art Day 2026 Begins in Hong Kong in a Few Hours
April 10th, 2026Slow Art Day 2026 is almost here.
It will begin Saturday, April 11, 2026 in Hong Kong in just a few hours and then move slowly west across the globe, ending nearly 24 hours later in Los Angeles.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we believe this cross-border, collaborative movement is exactly what this divisive world needs today.
And I’m proud to say that this year we have about 240 locations participating including a growing citywide movement: Mexico City with 50+ museums and galleries, Central Illinois hosting 20+ galleries, Saltillo, Mexico with 6 venues and Bogotá, Colombia celebrating Slow Art in its San Felipe Creative District.
There is so much happening everywhere – from the citywide noted above, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, to M+ in Hong Kong, to locations on every continent except Antarctica.
Here are just a few of the 240 or so locations:
– Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain — A global icon and especially meaningful in 2026 marking the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death.
– Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium — One of Europe’s great museums with Rubens and Flemish masters.
– Wellcome Collection, London, United Kingdom — A fascinating blend of art, science, and medicine.
– Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University, United Kingdom — The oldest public museum in the UK with encyclopedic global collections.
– Musée de Cluny, Paris, France — A medieval masterpiece museum, home to the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
– Frac Île-de-France, Le Plateau, Paris, France — A contemporary art platform offering a sharp contrast to Paris’s historic institutions.
– Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden — Sweden’s premier fine arts museum with a broad European collection.
– MART Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, Rovereto, Italy — A major Italian institution focused on modern and contemporary art.
– Rossocinabro, Rome, Italy — A contemporary gallery representing emerging artists from around the world.
– National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine — A powerful cultural institution preserving Ukrainian identity and heritage during wartime.
– Centro Cultural Rojas, Buenos Aires, Argentina — A vibrant, experimental cultural center deeply embedded in Argentina’s intellectual and artistic life.
– Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, United States — One of the largest and most comprehensive museums in the Americas.
– The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, United States — A legendary collection with a unique, highly influential approach to displaying art.
– MASS MoCA, North Adams, United States — One of the world’s largest centers for contemporary and installation art.
– National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada — The country’s premier national collection with global and Indigenous works.
– Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada — A major international museum with a diverse and expansive collection.
– Museo de Arte Popular, Mexico City, Mexico — A vibrant celebration of Mexican folk art and cultural traditions.
– M+, Hong Kong, China — One of the most important new contemporary art museums in the world.
– MAAT Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal — A striking architectural landmark blending art, technology, and design.
– Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, Australia — A major Australian cultural hub housed in a historic building.
– Clare Gallery at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, Hartford, United States — A powerful example of art connected to social justice and community engagement.
– Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture, Hasselt, Belgium — A forward-looking institution known for bold contemporary exhibitions and architecture.
This list doesn’t include hundreds of large and small spaces celebrating Slow Art Day like the small museum tucked away in the Basque region that has been celebrating slow art for more than a decade with a daylong festival of art, food, music, and dance.
Wherever you are in the world, let us wish you a happy, joyful, art- and community-filled Slow Art Day 2026.
Best,
Phyl, Ashley, Maggie, Johanna, Jessica, and Richard (the Slow Art Day HQ team of volunteers)
P.S. If your museum, gallery, sculpture park, church, library or other institution is celebrating and you have not yet registered, then please register!
P.P.S. Read our comprehensive 2025 Annual Report providing details and descriptions (as well as artifacts) of more than 76 events (out of about 200) from around the world last year.