Slow Art Day 2026 is just over a week away – and more big news: Bogotá, Colombia joins the growing global movement toward citywide Slow Art Day celebrations.
This inaugural citywide in Bogotá is led by Mauricio Ávila, Consejero Distrital de Infraestructura Cultural (District Advisor for Cultural Infrastructure), and centered in San Felipe Distrito Creativo (SF), which is Bogotá’s leading arts district. Often referred to simply as “SF,” the district brings together a dense network of contemporary galleries, artist studios, and creative venues, making it a natural anchor for Bogotá’s citywide Slow Art Day (see map image below).
As part of his role as District Advisor, Ávila decided to launch this first citywide in Bogotá. He was initially inspired by Constanza Ontiveros Valdés — an art writer and cultural project leader – who launched the first citywide Slow Art Day in Mexico City in 2025 and has expanded it in 2026 (more below). As you’ll see below, Ontiveros Valdés was in turn inspired by Pamala Eaton, Janean Baird and the whole team in Bloomington, Illinois who launched the first citywide anywhere.
Building on those examples, Ávila has organized five galleries and art spaces to pilot the Bogotá edition:
CURCUMA ART CENTER A contemporary art space focused on experimentation, emerging artists, and interdisciplinary practices.
ESTUDIO 74 A working studio and exhibition space supporting local artists and creative collaboration.
ESPACIO PERMANENTE An independent gallery dedicated to contemporary practices and ongoing artistic dialogue.
EL AZULEJO SAN FELIPE A cultural venue in Bogotá’s San Felipe arts district, known for its vibrant, community-driven programming.
VII A contemporary gallery presenting emerging and experimental artists, with a focus on bold, concept-driven exhibitions and new voices in the Bogotá art scene.
Together, these venues represent a cross-section of the contemporary art scene in SF — from independent galleries to artist-run spaces (see photos below).
We at Slow Art Day HQ are excited to watch the citywide movement spread organically around the world. As noted above, Constanza Ontiveros Valdés in Mexico City was inspired by Pamala Eaton and the BN Artists in Illinois who were the first anywhere to launch a citywide Slow Art Day. Their momentum continues to build. Their original citywide has now expanded into a celebration across Central Illinois — making that the first region-wide Slow Art Day in the world. Meanwhile, the 2025 Mexico City effort proved so successful that Ontiveros Valdés has since built a volunteer team, launched a dedicated website, and organized a coalition of more than 55 museums, galleries, and cultural venues for 2026.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
This deepening of our Slow Art Day movement could not come at a more important time in our divisive, topsy-turvy world. We need more art, we more global cooperation, and we need more community – and thanks to many of you we will have all that again with this year’s Slow Art Day.
Best,
Phyl
P.S. As you know, Slow Art Day 2026 is coming up April 11 — register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park or movie theater for 2026, if you have not yet done so. And maybe start thinking about a citywide celebration next year.
Slow Art Day 2026 is just over a week away – and big news – BN Artists, a team of artists in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, have now expanded their pioneering citywide event to become the first region-wide celebration anywhere in the world. Wow.
Aligned with the 100th anniversary of Route 66, Slow Art Day on Route 66 will be a Central Illinois region-wide series of events created by BN Artists along with a grassroots coalition of museums, libraries, small business owners, and cultural leaders, and with marketing support from Visit Bloomington-Normal and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. Together, they have set up a distributed, community-driven arts experience spanning more than 20 locations across several cities in Central Illinois (see below my signature for links to galleries, museums, libraries and other locations).
Pamala Eaton, who started the Slow Art Day movement in Bloomington when she launched the first citywide event in 2022, says this initiative has helped grow not just the arts community, but the region as a whole. “Collaborating with artists, galleries, and businesses across our community for Slow Art Day has increased visibility for the local art scene and is now attracting more local and out-of-town visitors to our art locations and everything else our towns offer.” Eaton is a gallerist and owner of Herb Eaton Studio & Gallery.
Here is the wonderful Slow Art Day on Route 66 poster –
The event will begin with a Preview Night on Friday, April 3 (First Friday), where visitors can explore downtown Bloomington galleries and meet local artists. The main Slow Art Day will then take place on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a closing reception from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at Herb Eaton Studio & Gallery. Additional programming will continue throughout the weekend and beyond, including a special slow looking and art making experience on Sunday, April 12 at 410 Sculpture Park in partnership with the Bloomington Public Library.
The connection to Route 66 adds a wonderful dimension. Long celebrated as part of the American experience, Route 66 represents movement, exploration, and the stories we carry across distance. Slow Art Day gently inverts that idea — inviting people not to pass through, but to pause, to look closely, and to build connection where they are.
As local arts educator Hannah Johnson noted, slow looking and slow making are “transformative acts in our exceedingly expeditious world.” That spirit is evident throughout the region — from galleries and museums to libraries, sculpture parks, and public spaces.
Participants will be encouraged to explore multiple locations, collect stamps in the Art Scene in McLean County Passport, and experience the diversity of artistic expression across Central Illinois. The result will be not just a series of events, but a shared regional experience built on attention, curiosity, and community.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are blown away by how Janean Baird, Pamala Eaton, BN Artists, and their many partners continue to lead the way in growing the Slow Art Day movement. Among other things, they have inspired others around the world to launch citywide events. In 2025, Constanza Ontiveros Valdés — an art writer and cultural project leader in Mexico City – was inspired by BN Artisits to start the first Mexico City citywide. That was so successful that this year, Ontiveros Valdés has built a volunteer team, a website and organized a coalition of 55+ museums, galleries and other venues. Wow! And not to be outdone by his northern neighbor, Mauricio Avila Morales is now organizing the first citywide in Bogotá, Colombia (more on that soon).
Happy Slow Art Day (almost) to everyone around the world. We need more art and community in this divisive, topsy-turvy world – and thanks to many of you we will have that.
Best,
Phyl
P.S. Slow Art Day 2026 is coming up April 11 – register your museum, gallery, church, sculpture park or movie theater for 2026, if you have not yet done so.
The Central Illinois Participating Galleries, Museums, Libraries, Public Art spaces, and Sculpture Parks
410 Sculpture Park — 410 S. Madison St., Bloomington, IL Large-scale works created from discarded industrial materials. Open daily. Special slow looking + artmaking program on Sunday, April 12 (registration required).
Art Vortex Studio — 101 W. Monroe St., Suite 210, Bloomington, IL Photography, sculpture, and collage. Open April 3 and April 11.
Beluga Press Art Gallery — 313 N. Main St., Bloomington, IL Photographic techniques. Open April 3 and April 11.
Bloomington Public Library — 205 E. Olive St., Bloomington, IL Featured local artists on display. Co-host of April 12 sculpture park program.
City of Lexington — 329 W. Main St., Lexington, IL Public art installations and Bloom on Main community event.
Herb Eaton Studio & Gallery — 411 N. Center St., Bloomington, IL Historic Route 66 gallery and closing reception site.
Illinois Art Station — 101 East Vernon Ave., Normal, IL Free Fourth Saturday artmaking event on April 25.
Inside Out: Accessible Art — 200 W. Monroe St., Bloomington, IL Artists available to discuss their work.
Jan Brandt Gallery — 418 N. Main St., Bloomington, IL Circus-themed paintings inspired by local history.
The fourth annual citywide Slow Art Day on Route 66 is being hosted by the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois this year.
** 20 ** local arts organizations are coming together for their citywide Slow Art Day, led by BN Artists, the grassroots, artist-led coalition of small business owners, nonprofit workers, and other culturally engaged citizens working collaboratively to promote the vibrant art scene in Bloomington-Normal.
Led by Pamala Eaton and others, BN Artists pioneered citywide events and have inspired other cities around the world to do it, including Rome and Mexico City (Mexico City is also their first citywide this year and bringing together 20 galleries and museums and they specifically cited Bloomington-Normal).
In Bloomington-Normal, guests will have a chance to explore the art studios and galleries of Downtown Bloomington artists, enter a world built of discarded machinery and scrap parts at 410 Sculpture Park and the House on Garling, and experience art viewing and artmaking in Normal at Illinois Art Station, the Children’s Discovery Museum, and Ryburn Place at Sprague’s Super Service.
See the wonderful poster below –
Santino Lamancusa, owner of The Hangar Art Company (who also designed the poster) explained his passion for Slow Art Day: “You don’t have to know anything about art to be able to enjoy it. Slow Art Day’s purpose is to allow you the time to look and make your own discoveries about what you see and how art makes you feel. It’s all about your interaction with the artist and what your experience is with their art. It’s not about anyone else’s opinion but your own. Slow Art Day is an opportunity to experience art for yourself.”
Pamala Eaton, gallerist and owner of Herb Eaton Studio and Gallery said Slow Art Day has helped to build the local art scene, “Collaborating with the other artists and galleries in our community for Slow Art Day has given our local art scene more visibility and we are now attracting more local and out of town visitors to our art locations.”
We at Slow Art Day love what Pamala, Santino, and others have done to get the whole city involved.
They are truly an inspiration for the world!
– Phyl and the Slow Art Day team
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 or movie theater here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/
