For their third Slow Art Day, Concordia in Enschede, Netherlands, created an experience that embraced independent reflection and cinematic viewing.
While the originally scheduled artist talk had to be canceled due to personal reasons of the artist, the team thoughtfully adapted the event. They provided seating within the gallery space so visitors could independently spend time quietly viewing the works on display. Concordia also published tips online about how to look slowly at art, which many guests reviewed ahead of their visit. Additional prompts at the venue helped guide individual reflection and deepen the viewing experience.
Promotional graphic for Concordia’s Slow Art Day. (Courtesy of Concordia)
To conclude the day, visitors were invited to a screening of The Mirror by filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky — a contemplative cinematic work that echoes the principles of Slow Art Day.
Photos from the exhibition:
Alexandra Leykauf – All together now, video.(Photo courtesy of Concordia)Alexandra Leykauf – Drie Stenen II. (Photo courtesy of Concordia)Sara Rajaei – Veronica and Chantur.(Photo courtesy of Concordia)
We at Slow Art Day HQ applaud Concordia for turning unexpected changes into an opportunity to highlight the power of self-guided reflection and film. We look forward to seeing what they do for Slow Art Day 2026.
A new kind of partnership is taking shape — one that connects art and the job search in a powerful way.
Slow Art Day and Never Search Alone are working together to support both museums and job seekers.
Why this partnership matters:
For museums: It brings in new and more diverse visitors — something many are working hard to do.
For job seekers: It creates a space to pause, reflect, and feel connected during what can be a very isolating time.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, Never Search Alone members Stuart Ridgway and Caitlin Thistle hosted one of these special events at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Forty job seekers took part.
They started outside the museum (see photos below), then split into groups of four. Each group moved through the galleries together. One person at a time picked a piece of art. Everyone looked at it slowly — for ten minutes — then they talked about what they saw.
Afterward, everyone met back in the courtyard. They kept talking for hours — forming new friendships and reconnecting with something often lost in the job search: the simple, human experience of looking at art and being with others.
Caitlin, pictured in the left foreground of the group photo above, and Stuart both reported that the group left feeling energized and connected — lifted by the simple yet profound act of looking at art together.
Because the participants meet outside the museums, and break up into groups of four, and buy their own tickets, this is a scalable program that also doesn’t involve complicated group tour arrangements with museums. 50 or 100 job seekers just meet up, get divided into groups of 4, and go slow looking.
I hosted recent events as well at the Brooklyn Museum, with 50 participants, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art where more than 120 Never Search Alone members came together.
Below are photos from the Metropolitan Museum of Art outing.
Already, Never Search Alone members around the country are beginning to plan more events including one coming up at the Seattle Art Museum (more on that in a separate post).
Stay tuned. This is only the beginning.
– Phyl, Ashley, Johanna, and Jessica Jane
P.S. More information about Never Search Alone can be found at Phyl.org.
For their first Slow Art Day, the Freer Gallery of Art, part of the Smithsonian Asian Art Museum in Washington, D.C., hosted a day-long celebration focused on slowing the mind, body, and spirit.
Visitors were invited to participate in a series of immersive activities held in the Freer’s galleries and courtyard, designed to deepen observation and foster mindfulness through art and nature. The day offered both guided and self-guided experiences, welcoming adults and families alike.
Featured activities included:
Guided Slow Looking sessions in Gallery 5, focusing on Japanese screens (11:30 a.m. family session; 1:30 p.m. adults-only session)
Forest Bathing mindfulness walks in the courtyard led by naturalist and certified forest therapy guide Ana Ka’ahanui from Capital Nature (1 p.m. family session; 2 p.m. adults-only session)
Qigong practice in the courtyard, or Gallery 17 in case of rain (12–1 p.m.)
Self-Guided Slow Looking with sketching, writing, and conversational prompts available to encourage personal exploration at one’s own pace
Image courtesy of Create Calm
Each session offered participants an opportunity to slow down, open their senses, and form a deeper, more personal connection with the art and environment around them.
Throughout the day, participants could be seen sketching quietly before the intricate screens, breathing mindfully in the courtyard, and moving gracefully through Qigong sequences that mirrored the flow of nature. The museum’s thoughtful integration of art, nature, and mindfulness—including the leadership of Ana Ka’ahanui in the forest bathing sessions—beautifully embodied the spirit of Slow Art Day.
We at Slow Art Day HQ love how the Freer Gallery of Art created such a great mix of events and wish we had been there to participate. We can’t wait to see what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.
– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. You can learn more about the Freer Gallery’s events and exhibits by visiting their website. You can also follow them on:
For their third Slow Art Day, RiverBrink Art Museum, located in Queenston, Ontario (Canada), invited visitors to slow down and deepen their connection with three selected artworks from their permanent collection. Guests were welcomed into the gallery and encouraged to sit quietly with each artwork, observing closely for five minutes before joining a facilitated group discussion led by Programming and Curatorial Assistant Moyu Chen.
Featured works included:
“Effet de Pluie, Pont Aven” by Gustave Loiseau (n.d.)
“Portrait of Frances Davis” by Francis Cotes (c. 1760)
“Settlers’ Cabin in the Foothills [Early Canadian Settler]” by Cornelius Krieghoff (1859)
“Effet de Pluie, Pont Aven” by Gustave Loiseau.(Photo courtesy of RiverBrink Art Museum)“Portrait of Frances Davis” by Francis Cotes.(Photo courtesy of RiverBrink Art Museum)“Settlers’ Cabin in the Foothills [Early Canadian Settler]” by Cornelius Krieghoff.(Photo courtesy of RiverBrink Art Museum)
Participants reflected on visual details, brushwork, subject matter, and emotional tone. The museum provided extra seating to ensure an accessible and comfortable environment for slow looking, and a helpful handout (featured below) with observation questions created by the museum team.
Gallery setup for Slow Art Day at RiverBrink Art Museum, featuring “Effet de Pluie, Pont Aven” by Gustave Loiseau.* (Photo courtesy of RiverBrink Art Museum)
We at Slow Art Day HQ love the art, the simple design and the ongoing partnership with RiverBrink. We look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.
For their second year participating in Slow Art Day, Moderna Museet Malmö once again hosted a deeply reflective and engaging event that beautifully combined meditation with slow looking.
In the vibrant exhibition Vivian Suter – I Am Godzilla, participants gathered for a guided meditation session led by Ana María Bermeo, an artist, museologist, and certified meditation teacher. Through simple breathing and mindfulness exercises, Bermeo encouraged participants to slow their pace, immerse themselves in Suter’s rich visual world, and reconnect with their own inner experiences.
Slow looking and meditation surrounded by expressive, immersive works in the Vivian Suter exhibition. (Photo: Susanne Lindblad/Moderna Museet Malmö)
No prior experience with meditation was required — only a willingness to pause, breathe, and look slowly.
Attendees reported embracing the moment of silence and reflection, letting go of performance and expectation, and allowing themselves to experience both the art and their sensory impressions in a deeper, more contemplative way.
Participants meditating amidst the colorful canvases of the Vivian Suter exhibition at Moderna Museet Malmö.(Photo: Susanne Lindblad/Moderna Museet Malmö)
The bold, colorful canvases of Vivian Suter’s exhibition created a powerful backdrop for the session. For us at Slow Art Day HQ, it is particularly striking to witness participants seated quietly in a circle around these vibrant works, each deeply absorbed in silent meditation and reflection.
We are so grateful to Moderna Museet Malmö and to host Susanne Lindblad for continuing to be a valued part of the Slow Art Day movement. We can’t wait to see what they create for Slow Art Day 2026!
For their second year participating in Slow Art Day, the Boston Athenaeum hosted a full day of slow looking and community reflection centered around the works of Boston artists Allan Rohan Crite (1910 – 2007) and Polly Thayer Starr (1904 – 2006).
Visitors were invited to explore the Athenaeum’s first floor galleries freely throughout the day or join one of four scheduled guided sessions at 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm (a family session), and 3 pm. Each session began with 10 minutes of slow, close looking at a selected work, followed by a docent-led conversation encouraging participants to share their observations and experiences.
Visitors participating in a slow looking session inside the historic Boston Athenaeum during Slow Art Day 2025.(Photo courtesy of the Boston Athenaeum)
Self-guided visitors were encouraged to select their own piece of art and use a printed Slow Art Day handout (below) featuring guiding questions for deeper reflection.
Screenshot of the Boston Athenaeum’s social media post for the event. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Athenaeum)
On the day, the United States witnessed the largest coordinated protest since President Trump’s return to office, and the Athenaeum provided a space for contemplation and connection. The choice to highlight the works of Crite, an African American artist, and Starr, a female artist, resonated deeply on a day when issues of representation, equity, and justice were at the forefront of national discourse.
We at Slow Art Day HQ extend our gratitude to the Boston Athenaeum, and to all Slow Art Day hosts, this year for providing a sanctuary for reflection and dialogue during a pivotal moment in the world’s political discourse.
We look forward to seeing what the Boston Athenaeum designs for 2026!
I’m always looking for thoughtful, interesting, accessible and jargon-free writing about art and the power of slow art.
Thus, when Maggie Levine, who runs the ArtWrite Substack, published a lovely essay on slow art and Slow Art Day, I wanted to bring it to the Slow Art Day community.
Take a moment and enjoy her writing (and photography). I particularly like her description of her trip to Naoshima, an “art island” in the Seto Inland Sea.
Maggie is a teacher and writer who works at the intersection of writing, art, and the creative process. She studied English and art history at Barnard and received her MFA in Fiction from the University of Arizona.
– Phyl
P.S. We are beginning to write up the reports from Slow Art Day 2025. More soon!
The 15th Annual Slow Art Day – with 210+ museums, galleries, churches, and hospitals are – begins tomorrow Saturday, April 5, 2025 (see full list of venues around the world and register yours if you have not yet done so).
New York, Berlin, Mexico City, Paris, Hong Kong, Brussels, Athens, Budapest, Washington, DC, Toronto, Rome, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, Stockholm, Seoul, Antwerp, Los Angeles, London, Barcelona, Stockholm, Johannesburg, Brazil, Singapore, and many, many other places are participating in Slow Art Day.
We are proud that in this topsy-turvy time, Slow Art Day is a model of global cooperation.
So, yes, while trade barriers, tariffs, and acrimony fill the global political debate, thousands of people across every continent will celebrate the power of art to bring us together.
Here are some highlights from this year’s festival of slowing down to look at and love art.
Mexico City is hosting its first citywide Slow Art Day with more than **40** museums and galleries participating. Read these two articles from CDMX – Ad Magazine and Milenio – to learn more. I also encourage you to check out the Instagram for the Mexico City Slow Art Day – there are a lot of great resources, images, and stories there. Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, writer and cultural projects organizer, has done an amazing job.
Bloomington, Illinois, which started the citywide movement, is now hosting 20+ museums and galleries and a big party to boot. Read this article to learn more or see our post.
Here are two posters from these two citywide events.
Mass MoCA is celebrating again as is the beautiful and wonderful Athenaeum in Boston while the Morgan Library is hosting in New York, and The Barnes Foundation , Glenn Foerd, and the Magic Gardens are all hosting in Philadelphia.
In Washington D.C., the National Museum of Women in the Arts is hosting yet again while the National Museum of Asian Art is joining us for the first time.
Antwerp’s church-based Slow Art movement continues to grow while St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne has become a leader in hospital-based Slow Art.
The Ur Mara Museo in Spain’s Basque country holds its 10th Slow Art Day with another full day of slow looking, cooking, eating, and dancing. While Ur Mara Museo has been celebrating Slow Art Day for a decade in the Basque country, The Altes Museum (English: Old Museum), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Berlin’s museum island, holds their second Slow Art Day tomorrow.
The Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens also holds their second Slow Art Day while The AGO in Toronto , one of the largest museums in North America, hosts their 10th Slow Art Day.
Australia has 11 participating museums, galleries and hospitals. The first Slow Art Day is being hosted at the De Young Museum in San Francisco (hosted by Slow Art Day pioneer, Carol Rossi).
There is so much happening all over the world, it’s impossible to summarize effectively.
But you can check out our 2024 Annual Report to get a sense of the range of activities from last year (and get inspired for this year).
Have a great 15th Annual Slow Art Day.
This is certainly a year we all really need to slow down, look at and love art, and love each other.
For the 15th anniversary year of Slow Art Day, the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM), Montana’s largest contemporary art museum, will host its first event this Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the same time as hundreds of museums and galleries around the world.
And they are going all out with a full day of activities designed to encourage visitors to experience art slowly and mindfully.
The festivities begin with yoga at the YAM from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., featuring a unique session that integrates slow observation of art in the museum’s Murdock Gallery.
At 11:30 a.m., Krista Leigh Pasini, owner of Rain Soul Studio and former YAM Artist-in-Residence, will lead a guided meditation in the museum’s newest exhibition, “Tyler Joseph Krasowski: Everything Becomes Something.” Krista will conduct another meditation session later in the afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m.
Throughout the day, local artists known as the Copyists will paint selected works by Gennie DeWeese from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again from 1 to 4 p.m. Additionally, the Billings Urban Sketchers will be actively sketching around the museum campus.
Museum admission and all Slow Art Day activities are free and open to the public. No registration is required.
We are happy to welcome the Yellowstone Art Museum to Slow Art Day and look forward to hearing to getting a report on their first event.
Best,
– Phyl
P.S. The 15th anniversary Slow Art Day is coming up this Saturday, April 5, 2025 – with hundreds of museums, galleries, churches, sculpture parks and other venues – be sure to register your event if you have not yet done so.
The 15th anniversary Slow Art Day is coming up this Saturday, April 5 – with hundreds of museums, galleries, churches, sculpture parks and other venues (be sure to register your museum, gallery, church, hospital, sculpture garden or other venue).
One location this year will be en plein air so to speak – in a hectic shopping center – hosted by the West Cheshire Museums in England.
They are bringing art outside to the heart of the city center and thereby making both the art and the art of slow looking more accessible.
Museum staff and community groups (including their dementia-inclusive Meet and Make group) have set questions for the public to encourage a slower look at the images.
They have chosen three art works out of their multiple galleries to bring to the Grosvenor Shopping Centre in Chester. The art they have chosen depict the city in different eras of its development – early 18th century (first image below), the Victorian era (second image below), and 2017.
The West Cheshire Museums are a diverse group of museums, which includes Grovesnor Museum, and other locations like a working watermill and a restored salt production site. Their collections cover a large slice of Cheshire’s history and tell the stories of the area’s people and places, from prehistoric times to the present day.
The West Cheshire Museums have been celebrating Slow Art Day since 2017 and we are happy to welcome them back for our 15th anniversary year – especially with their program to bring art out to the people.
– Phyl
P.S. We are proud this is now the 15th anniversary of Slow Art Day – the movement has grown and we continue to be delighted by the creative and innovative ways that museums, galleries, churches, hospitals and other venues choose to celebrate this day dedicated to looking at and loving art.
