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Self-Guided Slow Looking and Activities at Art Gallery of St. Albert in Canada

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The 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.

“Langage éphémère” by Sébastien Gaudette, 2026, Paper Installation. Photo courtesy of Art Gallery of St. Albert.

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.

Visitors engaging with art at the Art Gallery of St. Albert. Photo by Sarah Bach, 2026.

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.

Eighth Slow Art Day at Habitat for the Arts, Jasper, Alberta, Canada

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On April 5, 2025, Habitat for the Arts in Jasper, Alberta, Canada hosted another meaningful Slow Art Day at the Jasper Museum, continuing a tradition they have explored over eight years. Each year is different, and this year’s gathering centered on heritage photography and the way art captures and stills time.

The focus of the day was a photography exhibition featuring the work of Harry Rowed — images of people and places in Jasper National Park from the 1940s through the 1960s. The black-and-white still images offered participants a window into earlier generations, inviting them to consider memory, place, and continuity.

The morning program began with a dedicated half hour of slow viewing inside the exhibition. Participants were given a small piece of paper to carry with them as they moved through the gallery. They were invited to reflect on a simple but powerful question: Which image captured you? Which image made you stop and truly spend time with it?

After the quiet viewing period, guests gathered for tea and cookies — and even chocolate — creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere for conversation. The structure of the hour allowed for both solitude and shared reflection. The museum space, with comfortable seating placed among the historic images, encouraged visitors to linger.

Photography proved to be an especially fitting medium for Slow Art Day. As Habitat for the Arts shared, still images are perfect for capturing a piece of time. The photographs of Harry Rowed moved beyond documentation into storytelling. They carried gestures, landscapes, family groupings, and expressions that bridged generations.

Two reflections stood out from the discussion.

One participant shared, “It struck me witnessing the ties of family and how the love of nature and exploration crossed generations.”

Another reflected, “There is something so exact and familiar in spending time with the person in the photo. You feel almost as if you might know them, or have met them somewhere before despite the division of time.”

According to the Habitat for the Arts team, these responses captured the essence of the day.

We are grateful to Habitat for the Arts for continuing to celebrate Slow Art Day in Jasper and look forward to what they come up with for 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl