For their second Slow Art Day (and their first time hosting the program on-site) the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC offered four hours of immersive programming, inviting visitors to slow down through guided looking, mindfulness practices, gallery conversations, and movement.
The day unfolded through a thoughtfully structured sequence of offerings designed to meet visitors wherever they were.
Throughout the four hours, hundreds of Slow Looking Guides were distributed from the information desk, inviting visitors to deepen their connection with the art through sketching prompts, poetic reflection, comparisons, and written responses.
Four docents roamed the galleries, engaging visitors in informal conversations about the museum’s world-renowned collections. These roaming discussions allowed participants to linger, ask questions, and explore artworks through sustained dialogue rather than quick viewing.
Two guided Slow Looking sessions were scheduled in the Japanese screen gallery, one for families and one for adults. Due to a large gathering on the National Mall that day, the family session did not run. However, 15 visitors participated in the adult session focused on the early 17th-century folding screen “Trees.”
Participants spent extended time observing the green malachite pigments layered over gold foil. As they looked more closely, subtle botanical details emerged — magnolia veins, pine and cedar needles, tiny acorn buds, delicate blossoms. The facilitator described the work as “a gardener’s dream brought indoors,” noting how the composition moves viewers from luminous gold panels into dense greenery, like stepping gradually into a forest.
In the museum’s outdoor courtyard, 24 visitors joined Forest Bathing sessions led by a certified forest therapy guide. Though not a traditional forest setting, the courtyard’s Japanese maples, ferns, holly, pine, peonies, birds, bees, and even beetles became focal points for sensory awareness. Participants were invited to gently touch plants — an uncommon freedom in a museum environment — and to slow down through guided sensory exercises.
Visitors also participated in a Qigong session, a standing mindful movement practice rooted in Chinese tradition. Through slow, nature-inspired movements and breath awareness, participants were encouraged to notice the flow of energy in their bodies and mirror the rhythms of the natural world.
With their 2025 Slow Art Day, The National Museum of Asian Art demonstrated how structured programming, roaming conversation, embodied practice, and simple prompts can invite visitors into meaningful slowness.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we are especially inspired by how the National Museum of Asian Art expanded slow looking beyond the gallery walls, integrating folding screens, forest bathing, mindful movement, and docent engagement into a cohesive experience.
We are grateful to Jennifer Reifsteck and the entire team at the National Museum of Asian Art for their thoughtful leadership. We look forward to seeing what they design for Slow Art Day 2026.
– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
