For its second Slow Art Day, the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado, offered both self-guided viewing and structured, docent-led discussions, inviting guests to explore three artworks.
Elaine de Kooning, Bullfight, 1959. Oil paint on canvas; 77 5/8 x 130 1/4 in. El Anatsui, Ghanaian, Rain Has No Father?, 2008. Installation. Found bottle tops and copper wire.Artist Unknown, Garden Party on the Terrace of a Country Home, about 1720-1730, Mexico. Folding screen, painted oil paint on canvas with gold.
Visitors were encouraged to spend 5–10 minutes individually observing each featured artwork, immersing themselves in a thoughtful, quiet exploration. Throughout the day, docents led engaging discussions every half hour, helping participants articulate their observations and uncover deeper meanings within the art.
The expressionism of Elaine de Kooning’s “Bullfight,” the textures of El Anatsui’s “Rain Has No Father,” and the narrative depicted in the 18th-century piece “Garden Party” sparked conversations and personal reflections among attendees. We recommend you check out the additional videos on the museum’s website showcasing El Anatsui’s installation and process.
You may view or download the handout for the event below:
Florence County Museum in Florence, South Carolina, held its third Slow Art Day on April 5, 2025, continuing its tradition of encouraging thoughtful art engagement. Facilitated by Uschi Jeffcoat, Curator of Education & Community Engagement, the museum offered structured, guided slow-looking at artworks by William H. Johnson, featured in the exhibit Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice, which was organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and supported by Art Bridges.
Guests thoughtfully engage in slow-looking during the event. Photo courtesy of Florence County Museum.
Participants visited the Focus Gallery on the second floor, where they engaged in a silent observation exercise for 5-10 minutes, thoughtfully guided by reflection prompts provided by the museum (view the file below). These prompts encouraged visitors to deeply consider elements such as their initial visual impressions, color observations, medium and techniques, and personal connections to the artworks. Questions posed included, “Where did your eye go first and why?” and “What would you ask the artist about this painting?”
Guests thoughtfully engage in slow-looking during the event. Photo courtesy of Florence County Museum.
The calm and supportive environment facilitated by these reflective strategies allowed attendees to comfortably share insights and discuss the deeper meanings discovered in William H. Johnson’s vivid portrayals of African American life from the 1930s and 1940s. Visitors noted that this structured approach significantly improved their confidence in independently engaging with art, positively enhancing their overall museum experience.
Florence County Museum’s ongoing commitment to Slow Art Day continues to inspire visitors, and we look forward to their participation in Slow Art Day 2026!
– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay connected with Florence County Museum on Instagram and Facebook.
For their second Slow Art Day, Wellcome Collection in London, England, hosted four different slow looking sessions which included unlocking food memories, writing object labels, and slow looking at works in the Reading Room. Wellcome Collection is a free museum that explores human health through the lens of art, medicine, and science.
Signs inviting to the Wellcome Room.Slow looking participants in the Wellcome Room.
The first session focused on two photographs of women amidst global crises, which illustrated how pandemics and infectious diseases affect the human experience. The exchange that followed with the participants was filled with deep, personal, and emotional testimonies.
The second session, led by Rosie Wassi, one of the Wellcome Collection team, explored the effects of environmental breakdown.
Discussion in front of Kia LaBeija’s self-portrait in the Infection (in this case HIV) Section of the Being Human gallery at the Wellcome Collection.
On a lighter note, the third session invited attendees to label objects from the Handling Collection, which helped to bring gallery employees and visitors closer together. Sana Siddiqui, one of the Wellcome Collection team, also reignited memories and senses through a selection of old food advertisements.
The day concluded with Wellcome Collection’s Slow Art enthusiast, Dickon Moore, leading a slow looking session of the eight-minute film “White” by Daniella Dean, which explored the impact of colonization on New Zealand’s fauna and flora.
A series of prompts were used for the slow looking sessions:
What do you see? Colors? Textures? Patterns? Shapes?
What do they symbolize? Why were these particular choices made?
What do you think the artist wanted to convey through their choices?
How does this resonate with you and your experiences? Does it trigger any emotions?
Can you tell a story about this object?
Based on all that has been discussed, what would you name or title this work?
Throughout the day a Slow Art slideshow, art materials, and books were also available to all visitors in the Wellcome Kitchen.
Dickon Moore leading slow looking at the film “White” from Danielle Dean. Slow drawing.
All sessions were facilitated individually or in pairs by the following Wellcome Collection team members: Jake Blackavar, Sana Siddiqui, Rosie Wassi, Isabel Greenslade, Isabelle Gapomo, Griff Davies, and Dickon Moore.
The event was well received, and Wellcome Collection provided several participants’ feedback in the file below:
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love the variety of sessions at Wellcome Collection, and are excited for whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Slow Art Day 2025 is coming up on April 5. If you have not done so, please register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/
While Slow Art Day is often held in large or regional museums, we also love to celebrate when smaller towns and studios join together to host slow looking.
As such, we’re happy to report that Belmont, NC, a small city of about 10,000 people, held their 7th Slow Art Day in April 2024.
Below is their innovative and fun flyer (feel free to copy).
Slow Art Day flier with profiles of the four featured artists
Both the morning and afternoon sessions were held at Art by J, a children’s art school, which is housed in an old mill down the hall from renowned artist Juan Logan.
Slow Art Day participants at one of the two sessions at Art by J.Participants engaging in slow looking.Writing and reflecting during one of the Slow Art Day sessions.
On Slow Art Day, guests were greeted by Jeaniene Dibble, the owner of Art by J, who gave them a Slow Art Day pin (we don’t have a photo of the pin – though we are sure we’d want it!) to wear that she had designed, and handed them a clipboard with paper and a pencil. Normally a chaotic environment with students and classes running, on Slow Art Day the school was serene and contemplative.
Guests looked slowly at each artwork for 10 minutes and used their clipboards to write down inspirations and answers to prompts that they were given. Next, they engaged in a discussion with three of the artists, Kathi Graves, Carol Stowe, and James Norman, who answered questions and discussed the participants’ thoughts and impressions. Pastries, donuts, and water were also provided.
Amy Bossard, the Design Committee Chair at the Downtown Belmont Development Association, reported that guests and artists were so engaged with each other they could have gone on talking all day long (we hear this all the time and witness it ourselves when we run slow looking events).
Both sessions were very well received, and the Downtown Belmont Development Association and Art by J already look forward to Slow Art Day 2025.
For their fifth Slow Art Day, The Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Canada, invited the public to a mindful exploration of the exhibition Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects between 11am – 1pm.
Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. Photo: Toni HafkenscheidMagdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. Photo: Jack McCombe
On Slow Art Day, participants were provided with guided activity sheets (see below) designed to facilitate slow looking. The handout prompted participants to think of how the objects were “talking” to them.
Participants were also encouraged to discuss their experiences either with each other, or with Sofia Flores-Ledesma, Education and Program Coordinator, who was available throughout the event.
Participants looking slowly at the exhibition for Slow Art Day 2024. Photo: Sofia Flores-Ledesma.
Below you can see the activity sheet (and feel free to copy any of what they have done there). The downloadable file also includes a few examples of how participants used the sheet to draw and comment.
The exhibition was the first and largest collection of Dame Magdalene Odundo’s works presented in North America, showcasing decades of her art. Magdalene Odundo (born 1950) first trained as a graphic artist in her home country of Kenya before moving to the United Kingdom to take a foundation course at the Cambridge School of Art. In 1976, Odundo graduated in Ceramics, Photography and Printmaking from the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. For more information about Odundo’s work and life, we invite you to look at The Gardiner Museum’s exhibition page.
The Gardiner Museum always hosts beautiful Slow Art Day events, and we look forward to whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
For their third Slow Art Day, the Gorgas House Museum, which is the oldest dwelling on the campus of the University of Alabama, hosted an event focused on a bohemian blue bead that was found behind the museum and is believed to have once belonged to an enslaved person.
Slow Art Day coordinator, Dr. Sharony Green, Associate Professor at the Department of History at the University of Alabama, asked her students to study the bead and slavery in advance of the event, then create art based on their study (some even created haikus). She then invited the campus and local community to slowly look at the bead and hear about the students’ work.
Visitors were also invited to use bead stations that were set up in the front parlor of Gorgas House to make a blue bead bracelet to commemorate the event.
Photo of one of Dr Green’s Students. Photo by Sharony Green.Photo of two UA anthropologists studying the blue bead. Photo by Sharony Green.
Above is a preview/link to the website they used to promote the project.
The bead station at Gorgas House before the event began. Photo by Sharony Green.
Dr. Green gave us some history about the bead:
The bead was found in an outdoor cooking area and was likely owned by an enslaved person. Some researchers believe it arrived via the Pacific Northwest and was brought to the Deep South via an indigenous trade network and that it was subsequently used as a protection amulet by an enslaved worker. While we speculate, we can also study the bead and sort through its significance during the antebellum period.
Dr. Sharony Green
Here’s a link to view some of the projects from Dr. Green’s students: Blue Bead Project Catalogue, and below you can scan a few of their photos and videos. All students took either an introductory level History class or an upper level History class taught by Dr. Green.
At Slow Art Day HQ we love how Dr. Green designed this whole Slow Art Day program – and that one small object, a bead, and its deep historical significance, became the point of inspiration for Slow Art Day. Thank you to Dr. Sharony Green, and her students, for such a unique event, and we look forward to whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay up to date with future events at the Gorgas House via their social media @TheGorgasHouse
A friendship bracelet and student sewn piece. Photo by Rebecca Johnson.
For their 2024 Slow Art Day (their fifth!), the Art Gallery of St. Albert in Canada invited local sketch groups to visit the exhibition Threading Through Time by Jamaican visual artist Raneece Buddan. Director Leah Louden told us they chose to focus on Raneece’s exhibition, in part because her work “rewards the viewer with lots of fine details you only discover through careful observation.”
Slow Art Day participants sketching works by Raneece Buddan, Threading Through Time (exhibition view), 2024. Photo by Brenda Lakeman.
Slow Art Day participants sketching works by Raneece Buddan, Threading Through Time (exhibition view), 2024. Photo by Brenda Lakeman.
This year, the museum decided to partner with a series of local organizations who could bring in “sketch groups” including the Edmonton Art Club, The Federation of Canadian Artists Edmonton Chapter, Sketch Around YEG Club, and the St. Albert Visual Arts Council Guilds.
Upon arrival, the groups were offered both free refreshments and free drawing materials. In total, over 30 visitors joined. Some participants stayed for an extended period of time, spending 2 hours drawing and slowly appreciating the artwork.
All visitors were encouraged to choose a single artwork in the show, and then look and sketch slowly. The museum also provided prompts (see below – and feel free to copy!).
On April 15, Corridor Contemporary, located in the vibrant Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA, hosted their first Slow Art Day in conjunction with the debut of their exhibition Printed Perspectives.
The location in Philadelphia is a sister gallery to owner Erez Zemach’s main gallery in Tel Aviv, both of which exhibit emerging and established Israeli and international artists. They showcase a range of contemporary art from figurative and photorealism to fresh contributions of graffiti and the wider street art vibe.
They kept the design of their Slow Art Day event simple, and recommended that participants choose at least 3 artworks and view them slowly for 5 minutes (perhaps even using a timer). They prompted viewers to consider what other areas of their life might benefit from intentionally slowing down.
Flyer for the event.Main gallery at Corridor Contemporary.Participants slowly viewing a work in the main gallery.
The gallery reported that they had quite a successful event with about 100 visitors attending throughout the day. I had the pleasure of being one of those participants, and was particularly drawn to the work of West Philadelphia artist King Saladeen in his solo exhibition: No Middle Cla$$. I found myself taking in his works for much longer than 5 minutes, and I wasn’t alone. They drew quite an audience.
Ashley Moran with work by King Saladeen.Artwork by King Saladeen.Staircase gallery at Corridor Contemporary.
Corridor Contemporary has three floors of galleries, and I found the small, winding staircase to be a perfect intimate spot to look slowly at skateboards adorned with art by Keith Haring from The Skateroom.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love to see the breadth of institutions that participate in Slow Art Day, from local galleries such as this to the larger museums. It proves that Slow Art is truly accessible to all. I am particularly delighted to have discovered Corridor Contemporary’s gallery in my own neighborhood, and can’t wait for their event in 2024.
For their second Slow Art Day, The Florence County Museum in South Carolina invited visitors to take a slow look at several artworks by local artist William H. Johnson (born 1901), featuring scenes of the everyday life of African Americans during the 1930s and 1940s.
On the day, all visitors were offered a printed slow looking guide (see below) and a Slow Art Day button when entering the museum. Visitors could choose between walking around on their own or taking part in a guided group tour, which were available throughout opening hours 10am-5pm. Refreshments were available in the afternoon (nice touch!).
The Florence County Museum did a great job with their Slow Art Day – a simple effective printed guide, a lovely button, focus on one artist, a choice between a formal tour and self-guided reflection, and, finally, even refreshments.
What an effective holistic approach to the day.
Other museums and galleries may want to consider copying their design (or at least their guide).
The Florence County Museum is leading the way in celebrating Slow Art Day and we look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2024 (registration is open!)
-Johanna, Phyl, Ashley, and Jessica Jane
PS. Stay up to date with the Florence County Museum’s news and exhibitions through their Instagram and Facebook pages.
For their 7th Slow Art day, the Harn Museum of Art, located on the campus of The University of Florida in Gainsville, featured 5 artworks from their collection, including:
– Dogon Couple, by Kehinde Wiley – Northeast Gorge at Appledore, by Childe Hassam – Pli Selon Pli, by Akiyama Yo – Waiting for the Signal, by Robert Fichter – Horizontal Mask (korubla), by a Senufo artist
Host Allysa Peyton, Curator and Student Engagement Manager, and a group of University of Florida student ambassadors greeted participants with a flier that spelled out instructions, featured art works, and space to draw or take notes (see below).
The Harn instructed attendees to spend 10-12 minutes with each of the five featured artworks and encouraged them to not only draw or make notes, but also to reflect on the experience of looking slowly – and how what they see in the art may change over time.
After the slow looking session, everyone then gathered for tea, cookies, and discussion.
Educators and curators in the slow looking movement should take a look at their simple flyer (attached above) and consider copying elements of their approach for future sessions.
Akiyama Yo, Pli Selon Pli, 2002Kehinde Wiley, Dogon Couple, 2008Robert Fichter, Waiting for the Signal, 1981Senufo Artist, Horizontal Mask (korubla), 20th century
The Harn Museum of Art has also launched a year-round program Art & Mindfulness, which incorporates slow looking and guided meditations in 40-minute workshops.
We at Slow Art Day HQ like the incorporation of drawing and notes – and especially appreciate the cookies and tea (yum, yum) at the end – and we look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2023.
