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Slow Art Day News

Job Seekers and Art Converge in Seattle Art Museum

June 9th, 2025

Volunteers Ashley Christensen, Erinn Kruser and Forrest Corbett organized a group of 25+ job seekers to spend an evening together looking at art slowly at the Seattle Art Museum, Thursday, June 5, 2025. This is part of a growing partnership between Never Search Alone and Slow Art Day.

Below is Christensen’s write-up. And the team at Slow Art Day HQ agree – we couldn’t have described the impact of slow looking at art better.


Slow Art Day at Seattle Art Museum – Recap

1. We all saw something different.
Despite looking at the same painting for 10 minutes, my group came away with wildly different takeaways. From metaphors and feelings to objective facts (sometimes one of us missed whole sections of the art pieces). I was honestly surprised. I thought the longer we looked, the more we’d converge. But the opposite happened, we diverged. The art unfolded differently for each of us.

It was such a clear reminder that our lived experiences shape what we notice, how we interpret, and what moves us.

2. People wanted to connect, with the art and each other.
More than 20 of the 26 attendees stayed after the art viewing, gathering at the MARKET to talk, laugh, and share takeaways. That blew me away. We moved up to Seattle two years ago and I’m still getting to know my new home but this felt deeply communal in a beautifully unexpected way. I assumed folks would drift off after the art-viewing but instead, the shared experience created something worth lingering for. People wanted to stay.

3. The vibe was genuinely kind.
Networking events are awkward but this was different. I could tell some folks felt anxious or uncertain but people showed up with open minds. 

There was something disarming about the format. No pitches. No small talk. Just attention, presence, and an invitation to be curious. It didn’t feel like a networking event. It felt human.

4. Slow looking really changed our state.
One person mentioned at the end that she couldn’t focus at first. Her mind was racing. She wanted to move on after a minute. But then she started to settle and by the end of the first painting, she was present.

Another person noticed that someone in our group was fidgety and tense at the start but was visibly relaxed by the end. I felt that too. Like my body had slowed to meet my gaze. The longer we looked, the more the art gave us back.

5. Our attention had ripple effects.
As our small groups paused in front of pieces of artwork, something unexpected happened: strangers began to gather near us. They looked from the painting to us and back again, curious about what had captured our attention for so long.

Our stillness seemed to signal that these pieces were worth an extra-long look. That quiet attention drew people in. It was a beautiful reminder that focus is contagious and that how we engage with the world can invite others to do the same.

Thanks again for the inspiration and for building such a powerful global movement. It was an honor to be part of it.

Ashley Christensen

P.S. Here’s the Never Search Alone website.

Florence County Museum: Discovering Confidence Through Observation

June 5th, 2025

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.

Köping Museum’s Third Slow Art Day and Library Collaboration

June 3rd, 2025

Köping Museum, a local art and history museum in the small central Swedish town of Köping, celebrated their third Slow Art Day by offering visitors a rich experience slow-looking at “Kedjad val” by P.G. Thelander and an exhibit featuring work by Tanja Ahola Rothmaier.

The event started with a guided session within Tanja Ahola Rothmaier’s exhibits, encouraging visitors to immerse themselves deeply in the viewing process. Following this guided experience, attendees participated in an art analysis exercise focusing specifically on the artwork “Kedjad val” by P.G. Thelander.

Thelander is known for his conceptual and often surrealistic art, frequently exploring themes of constraint, decision-making, and the interplay between freedom and limitation. The title, “Kedjad val” (translated as “Chained Choice”), suggests a commentary on the nature of choice.

Tanja Ahola Rothmaier’s exhibit. Photo provided by Köping Museum.
Slow looking setup for “Kedjad val” by P.G. Thelander. Photo provided by Köping Museum.

The session concluded with a relaxed group discussion over coffee, allowing participants to share insights and reflections on the artworks.

Coffee and art. Photo provided by Köping Museum.

Continuing their collaboration from the previous year, Köping’s local library also borrowed an artwork and provided instructional slow-looking cards, allowing library visitors to independently practice slow-looking.

You can download the instruction cards (in Swedish) below:

We love the collaboration between the museum and the library, and thank Celly Paillet and the entire Köping Museum team for their thoughtful event. We eagerly look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Stay connected with Köping Museum via their Facebook and Instagram @visitkoping.

Slow Art Week and Slow Art Club at Galleria l’arte di seta in Slovenia

May 31st, 2025

For their fifth Slow Art Day, Galleria l’arte di seta in Ljubljana, Slovenia, hosted a weeklong series of slow-looking experiences titled Beyond Visible, held April 5–14, 2025. Facilitated by executive coach and gallery founder Lidija Drobež, the event invited small groups to engage in quiet reflection and guided discussion while viewing works of abstract art. This marked the gallery’s first time featuring abstract art for Slow Art Day, expanding from a prior focus on figurative works.

Juraj Dobrović, second abstract painting. (Photo courtesy of Galleria l’arte di seta)
Juraj Dobrović, abstract geometric work. (Photo courtesy of Galleria l’arte di seta)

The exhibition featured two works by Croatian artist Juraj Dobrović (b. 1928), a key figure in Geometric Abstraction and Neo-Constructivism. Dobrović’s art explores structured geometries across painting, sculpture, and graphic media. He has exhibited at major international venues including the Venice Biennale (1972) and São Paulo Biennale (1973). Though the gallery also included figurative works, guests naturally gravitated toward Dobrović’s abstract pieces for their slow-looking sessions.

Each session began with 15 minutes of silent viewing, followed by a guided group discussion. Participants were encouraged to remain in quiet reflection even after completing their own viewing. The works inspired rich personal interpretations:

  • “I noticed how I hang on lines, these lines here, not to be pulled through… I slowly moved with my eyes along the white line. This was a safety line.”
  • “I am used to geometrical forms. They are beautiful,” shared one guest, an architect.
  • Others reported joyful transformations: seeing toys dance or birds singing in a garden.
  • One called the experience “a pure harmony. A mathematical solution, the highest form of mathematics.”
Visitors slow looking at Juraj Dobrović’s work. (Photo courtesy of Galleria l’arte di seta)
Participant observing a single piece. (Photo courtesy of Galleria l’arte di seta)

Beyond this annual event, Galleria l’arte di seta has expanded its commitment to slowness through a year-round series called Meetings with Art, now part of the Slow Art Club Galleria l’arte di seta. These sessions are built on a shared structure:

  • 30 minutes of gathering and small talk
  • 60 minutes of slow engagement (art, poetry, embodiment)
  • 30 minutes of group reflection and farewell

The themes range from slow poetry readings to embodied responses to artwork, yet all share the values of facilitated dialogue, mindful presence, and deep connection.

Galleria l’arte di seta’s thoughtful curation of abstract art and their expanding year-round programming reflect a deep and evolving commitment to slow looking. We are grateful for their creative leadership and look forward to seeing what they design for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. View them on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galleria.si/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Galleria.si/