For their first Slow Art Day, Kasteel van Gaasbeek (Gasbeek Castle) in Belgium held two activities that combined inclusive slow looking, touching and drawing.
The first activity was a slow-looking and slow-touching session with the “The Peasant Wedding,” a gilded bronze sculpture referencing Bruegel’s paintings that is located in a quiet and intimate corner of the castle. Visitors were invited to slowly experience the sculpture on their own terms. And to make the experience more inclusive, they could choose to also experience it blindfolded or by touch, which also ensured accessibility for people with visual impairments. A guide was also there to ask questions and encourage dialogue about their impressions.
Visitors engage with The Peasant Wedding by Studio Job. Photo courtesy of Kasteel van Gaasbeek.
The second activity took place outside the castle, where a guide-lecturer hosted a small slow drawing workshop. Passers-by were invited to pause, sit, and sketch the castle, focusing on its details and slowing down to notice the intricacies of its architecture. This exercise provided participants with an opportunity to not only look carefully but also to translate their observations into creative expression.
We at Slow Art Day HQ love how Kasteel van Gaasbeek’s first Slow Art Day demonstrated how accessible, inclusive, and participatory approaches can enrich the slow looking experience. We look forward to seeing what they do for Slow Art Day 2026!
– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay connected with Kasteel van Gaasbeek on Facebook and Instagram.
For its fifth year celebrating Slow Art Day, Glen Foerd in Philadelphia, PA selected four works from the museum’s permanent collection:
“Flowers in a Gold Vase” by Mary Elizabeth Price (1987-1960)
“Lady Trimelston” by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830)
“Manifestation with Wings” by Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904-1967)
“An Archive of Desire” (2020) by Jennifer Johnson
“Flowers in Gold Vase,” Oil on Panel. Mary Elizabeth Price (American, 1875-1960).“Lady Trimelston,” Oil on Canvas. Sir Thomas Lawrence (British 1769 – 1830).“Manifestation with Wings,” Oil on canvas. Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904-1967).“An Archive of Desire,” 2020. Mixed Media, Porcelain. Jenifer Johnson (American).
Visitors were encouraged to spend 10 minutes with each piece before joining a group discussion. The museum provided a set of prompts (see the p.s.).
Executive Director Ross Mitchell started the group discussion with an anecdote about his son, who, while visiting a museum, asked his father a simple yet profound question: “What are you supposed to think about when you’re looking at art?”
Visitors were invited to share their experiences. The group discussed the three paintings, displayed side by side in the Glen Foerd mansion’s art gallery. Initial impressions gave way to deeper appreciation of technique, composition, color, and space. After nearly an hour of dialogue, the group had come up with their own answers to the question Mitchell’s son had posed.
The momentum of the morning continued to the final piece, a sculptural installation display by Jennifer Johnson titled “An Archive of Desire”. Visitors were again asked to share their impressions and observations of the work, taking note of the ways that paintings and sculpture are experienced differently.
The morning ended with final remarks and an invitation to return for next year’s event, which we at Slow Art Day HQ look forward to seeing. We thank Ross Mitchell and the Glen Foerd team for continuing to cultivate a community of slow looking in Philadelphia.
The Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach, California, celebrated Slow Art Day on April 5, 2025, as part of their three-day Spring Fling pop-up show. The event was organized by host and artist Hedy Buzan, a founding host of Slow Art Day – and a longtime artist-presenter at the Sawdust.
Featured Works:
Sager-fired ceramic vessel
Stoneware cylinder
Two photographs
Bronze and enameled dragonfly sculpture
Watercolor painting of a neon sign and building
Two acrylic paintings
Two blown glass artworks
Participants gathered around the counter in Studio One, enjoying coffee during the morning session and wine during the afternoon gathering. Each session began with Hedy Buzan introducing five artworks by different artist, briefly discussing how each was made. Participants chose objects to closely observe in silence for five minutes, guided by the below prompts encouraging reflection on elements such as line, shape, texture, and personal emotional responses.
After individual reflection, attendees exchanged their objects, shifting between two-dimensional and three-dimensional works, allowing everyone to engage with a diverse range of artistic forms. This exchange was followed by a lively group discussion, facilitated by Hedy, who guided conversations by offering positive feedback and insights.
Participants engaging in lively discussion at Studio One. Photo courtesy of Hedy Buzan.
We express heartfelt thanks to Hedy Buzan and the entire Sawdust Art Festival team for their thoughtful planning and enthusiastic facilitation of Slow Art Day 2025. We look forward to what Hedy comes up with for Slow Art Day 2026.
For their first city-wide Slow Art Day, the town of Mason City, Illinois lined up three venues to host artwork events for Slow Art Day: the public library, Reimagine Mason City Foundation, and the Arlee Theater.
All three are local nonprofits who are actively involved in youth services and the arts. Even though Mason City is not large enough to need a stop light (with a population of 2500), they still make sure to celebrate local artists. This year’s featured works included pieces from local artists who have passed on, as well as works from four other Central Illinois artists with various ties to Mason City. Most of the entries were paintings, with one sculpture.
This year’s local artworks were:
Unknown titled piece by Andrea Maxson
“Colorful Flowers” by the late Helen Kim
Two untitled pieces by Anastasia Neumann
“Protection” and “Old Warrior” by Rick Kehl
Unknown titled piece by the late Mary Price
Unknown titled piece by the late Mary K. Mangold
“Arcturian Landscape Study in Aluminum” by Paige Price
Untitled work by Anastasia NeumannUntitled work by Anastasia NeumannUntitled work by Andrea Maxson“Colorful Flowers” by Helen KimUntitled work by Mary K. MangoldUntitled work by Mary Price“Arcturian Landscape Study in Aluminum” by Paige Price“Old Warrior” by Rick Kehl “Protection” by Rick Kehl
On Slow Art Day, the artworks were divided across the three selected locations, and tips for looking at art slowly were provided at each venue.
The public library showed their pieces in a special exhibit.
The Reimagine Mason City Foundation hosted a pop-up coffee shop where their works were displayed.
And lastly, the Arlee Theater projected digital versions of all of the works onto the big screen prior to the evening’s show (we have seen several theaters participate over the years, and love this type of venue for slow looking!).
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love to see citywide events – and especially appreciate smaller towns who come together to celebrate the day. We also hope to see more movie theaters join the Slow Art Day movement.
We look forward to seeing what Mason City comes up with for Slow Art Day in 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
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/
For their third Slow Art Day, the Caloundra Regional Gallery in Caloundra, Australia, featured the following five works from“The Local Contemporary Art Prize” exhibition, selected by Gallery Collections Curator Nina Shadforth:
Itamar Freed, “Tears and Time I Lost” (2023-2024). Kinetic sculpture, water from Maroochy River, artist tears, glass, wood, and metal. 35 x 50 x 47cm.
Erin Van Der Wyk, “Biodiverse” (2024). Relief print and embossing. Ed. 1/30. 50.8x61cm.
Nicole Voevodin-Cash, “Dying Bed” (2023). LANDscan-digital footage, digital print. Ed 1/5. 120x90cm.
Andrew Bryant, “Fractal Form” (2023). Wheel-thrown sculptural clay, satin matte Crystal Glaze over colored porcelain slips, stoneware fired. 45x50x8cm.
“The Local Contemporary Art Prize” competition started in 2014 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024. It is open to artists living within the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, who are invited each year to submit 2D and 3D works across all mediums.
Slow looking at one of the selected artworks.
For this year’s Slow Art Day, participants were first welcomed and given an overview of the 2 hour-long event. They were then invited to look slowly at the five artworks for 5-10 minutes each, and then write down their observations.
Below is the multi-page handout they designed for the session. We encourage educators and curators to look at what they’ve done here. It’s worth considering copying.
During the event, music was played on the harp and guitar by local musicians, Graham and Rowena.
Graham and Rowena, local musicians.Participants getting refreshments ahead of the group discussion.
Following the individual experience with the artworks, the group gathered in a circle with refreshments to share their observations (pictured below). Slow cooked soups and focaccia were provided, courtesy of the Friends of the Gallery. They also provided a bar with bubbles and wine for purchase. The free event was well-attended, with 38 booked attendees.
Slow looking participants in a discussion circle with refreshments during the second part of the event.
At Slow Art Day HQ we appreciate the caring they put into every aspect of this event and love the idea of having soup and bread during the discussion (how cozy!).
We look forward to whatever the Caloundra Regional Gallery team comes up with for Slow Art Day in 2025
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay up to date with events at the Gallery through their Instagram.
P.S.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 here: https://www.slowartday.com/be-a-host/
For this year’s Slow Art Day, the project ConectArte.Gestalt hosted 2 events across the city of Barcelona, Spain – one at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and the other at La Virreina. Both events had a Gestalt therapy approach and were led by Gestalt therapist and curator-producer Maribel Perpiñá de Lama.
In this report, we’ll focus on the event at MACBA led by Perpiñá de Lama and focused on five artworks by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané from the exhibition “A leaf in the place of the eye”:
Systemic Grid 126 (Window) (2015)
La Pensée Férale (2020). These are seven photographs taken in the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most biodiverse and endangered rainforests in the world.
Breathing Lines (2020/2023)
Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023)
Orange Oranges (2001)
The exhibition explores themes of impermanence, collective emotions, perception, fragility, time and space.
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Systemic Grid 126 (Window), 2020Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023) and Breathing Lines (2020/2023)Poster.
During the session, Perpiñá de Lama invited participants to slowly observe the artworks using nine principles from Claudio Naranjo‘s Gestalt approach:
Live now, worry about the present.
Live here, relate more to the present than what is absent.
Stop imagining, experience what is real.
Abandon unnecessary thoughts. Feel and observe instead.
Express rather than manipulate, explain, justify or judge.
Experience displeasure and pain as well as pleasure. Do not restrict your awareness.
Do not accept any “should” or “would have” more than your own.
Take full responsibility for your actions, feelings and thoughts.
Accept yourself as you are.
The event was successful, and several participants left positive feedback:
“This workshop was a very eye-opening experience for me. I had never reflected so much on my own shadow and how it affects my daily life. The artwork really helped me to connect with aspects of myself that I normally avoid.”
“I was amazed at how powerful art can be in exploring how we are in the present moment. Seeing the images and then sharing my reflections with the group really made me feel more connected to myself and others.”
“This workshop made me realize how much we have internalized our shadow and how they influence our decisions and relationships. It was a reminder of the importance of confronting those parts of ourselves in order to grow and heal.”
“The combination of the images in the exhibit and the group reflections was very impactful. I felt very supported by the group to explore and openly share my thoughts and feelings.”
At Slow Art Day HQ we appreciate the innovative work ConnectArte.Gestalt and Maribel Perpiñá de Lama are doing and look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
Slow Art Day 2024 is tomorrow, Saturday, April 13 and yet again there are an amazing variety of museums, galleries, churches, cities, sculpture parks joining us from around the world (see the full list) – including across Europe.
To name just a few across that continent…
There are three cities hosting citywide Slow Art Days – Antwerp, Belgium (*8* locations), Reims, France (*4* locations), Rome, Italy (*3* museums).
Some countries are hosting multiple sites including Belgium (*11* locations including Antwerp), Sweden (*8* locations), Italy (*7* locations including Rome), England (*6* locations), Germany (*5* locations including 2 in Berlin), Spain (*4* locations), Ireland (*3* locations), Denmark (*2* locations).
Then Ukraine, Slovenia and several other countries have single sites for Slow Art Day 2024.
Here’s details on just two of these locations:
Altes Museum – Berlin
The Altes Museum (English: Old Museum) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was originally built between 1825 and 1830. It’s in the heart of Berlin on the museum island. For their Slow Art Day they are running a workshop in the Greek and Roman galleries.
And I love this – the “prerequisite” for participation in this workshop is “curiosity and goodwill towards yourself.” Lovely. Led by the art therapists Naira Bloss and Ulla Utasch, the workshop includes a short guided relaxation exercise, slow looking at selected ancient art, then followed by an in-depth discussion.
Sweden Nationalmuseum
The Swedish Nationalmuseum is hosting another art chill in their beautiful Sculpture Courtyard. They are providing yoga mats and an optional soundtrack.
These are just a few of the hundreds of places hosting events around the world this year.
And, of course, you can run your own personal Slow Art Day anywhere anytime.
We hope you have a wonderful Slow Art Day 2024.
– Phyl
P.S. If you have not yet registered your Slow Art Day with us, then go to this page.
P.P.S. Our 2023 Annual Report is out. Read it and get inspired!
Slow Art Day 2024 is coming soon and will be happening all over the world and in every kind of setting – including but not limited to museums, galleries, sculpture parks, colleges and universities, street art, and a small but growing number of churches.
Further, more cities are hosting citywide Slow Art Days – from Bloomington, Illinois to Philadelphia, PA, to Antwerp, Belgium, and for the first time, Rome (more on Rome next week).
Antwerp has a total of 8 museums and churches participating this year.
In fact, the churches participating in Antwerp represent the beginnings of the church wing of the Slow Art Day movement – for which we must give credit to Armand Storck, scriptor for Sint-Pauluskerk (St. Paul’s) in Antwerp, Belgium.
Storck has hosted *six* previous Slow Art Day events and passionately believes that churches are a natural home for Slow Art Day. “Not only are many churches brimming with works of art, but the locations themselves naturally invite reflection. The slow, sensory perception is a way to arrive at the (religious) meaning of a work of art. Time runs almost noticeably slower in our churches than in the world outside,” said Storck.
We at Slow Art Day HQ couldn’t agree more.
And we are happy to report that as a result of Storck’s efforts to evangelize Slow Art Day to other churches, this year there are *four* churches in Antwerp participating, each of which have gone through preparation and training coordinated by an organization called the Tourism Pastoral and Monumental Churches Antwerp.
Storck wisely decided to expand to more churches in Antwerp first and then find ways to bring more churches around the world into the Slow Art Day fold in future years.
Below is Storck’s description of what each of the four Antwerp churches are doing for Slow Art Day.
Slow Art Day in 4 Churches in Antwerp by Armand Storck
Sint-Andrieskerk (St. Andrew’s)unveils the painting The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew by Otto Van Veen and compares it to his modello. Children go in search of the mother and grandmother of Jesus, at the altar of Saint Anne. The sessions are free and start at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
St. Charles Borromeo focuses on the paintings of the St. Francis Xavier altar. Slow Art Day sessions will be held at 2:15 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. This activity is included in the entrance ticket to the church.
Sint-Jacob goes for three works of art: a sculpture, a funerary monument of the Marquis de Velasco (Pieter I Scheemaekers), a painting, triptych The Last Judgement (Jan Sanders van Hemessen) and a stained-glass window, The Last Supper (Draeck – anonymous). The Slow Art sessions are free and start at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm. There will also be a unique viewing moment at 4 p.m., when the shutters of the triptych The Last Judgement will be closed for fifteen minutes, making the back exceptionally visible.
In St. Paul’s, the guides will bring visitors to the pulpit of the Antwerp sculptors De Boeck & Van Wint (see photo below). They became famous for their later Stations of the Cross, made the large church furniture in 1874 and decorated it with beautiful Bible scenes. Fascinating for young and old. The church (see second photo below taken during the 2024 Easter services) is open free of charge from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the guided sessions start every half hour (last at 4:30 p.m.).
We hope you have a wonderful Slow Art Day 2024 wherever you are in the world – and that you take inspiration from Armand Storck and his colleagues in Antwerp who are leading the efforts to expand our movement.
– Phyl
P.S. If you have not yet registered your Slow Art Day with us, then go to this page.
P.P.S. Our Annual Report is out. Read it and get inspired!
For their third Slow Art Day, Galleria l’arte di seta in Ljubljana, Slovenia, partnered with Elnovaspace Education Center to host three events in the period between April 13th – 18th, 2023 on the theme ‘Beauty from Brokenness.’
Artwork by artist Ruth Korthof
Slow Art Day participant, 2023, viewing artwork by artist Ruth Korthof
Slow Art Day participants, 2023, viewing artwork by artist Ruth Korthof
All events took place at the premises of Elnovaspace, Cigaletova 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
There were 3 main events:
April 13th opening
April 14 and 15 slow art looking (in person, individual guests)
April 18 conversation with the artist
Each event started with slow looking for 10 -15 minutes. They followed that by asking each participant to share their thoughts and reflections, and then concluded by talking about the ‘beauty of brokenness.’
Gallery founder, Lidija Drobež, said that “the common experience of looking slowly and the intriguing topic of beauty from brokenness jointly led to honest, meaningful and open discussion.”
Artist Ruth Korthof had no active role during slow art looking, but on April 18th she was actively involved as a participant. Later she said the following about the event:
We really like the way Galleria l’arte di seta approached this Slow Art Day and their three-day design with a focus on a single artist could be a good model for how other galleries might want to approach designing their own slow looking events.
Here at Slow Art Day HQ we were ourselves quite taken by the theme, and find Ruth Korthof’s art captivating. Porcelain is fragile, breakable, and beautiful, just like much of our world (and, of course, note the proximity of the Ukraine War and the threats Latvia is itself experiencing).
We look forward to whatever Galleria l’arte di seta and Elnovaspace come up with for their next Slow Art Day.
For their third Slow Art Day, Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, England, invited visitors to look slowly at five artworks ranging from the twelfth-century to present day:
Twelfth-century Romanesque stone reliefs depicting the Raising of Lazarus.
Graham Sutherland’s “Noli Me Tangere” (1961), which shows the encounter between Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ who she mistakes for a gardener.
Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window (1977), illustrating Psalm 150.
Michael Clark’s “Five Wounds” (1994), consisting of five tiny depictions of the wounds of Christ in locations around the Cathedral, and symbolising the Body of Christ: two at the West end (the feet), two in the transepts (the hands), and one at the North side (the wound in Christ’s side).
Anne Grebby’s “Enfleshed Word” (2023), a temporary installation in the St John Chapel. This is a triptych altarpiece. The central panel depicts Jesus being baptized by John. The side panels consist of abstract designs depicting the Holy Spirit.
Plaster cast of a stone relief depicting the Raising of Lazarus, from Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex. Image source: the V&A museum collections. Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window (1977). Photo by Arjen Bax. Image source: Wikipedia.
After a brief introduction, participants looked at each work in chronological order for 10 minutes. After an hour, they met up for a second hour of discussion over tea and coffee with John Workman, Cathedral volunteer, who was able to give additional information about the artworks.
The event was fully booked with a maximum of 10 participants in each of two sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. John Workman noted that the small group size works the best in the Cathedral, and is appreciated by the participants.
Workman also sent us a quote written by Hans Feibusch, an artist who saw the importance of art commissioned for a sacred space and wrote this at the end of the Second World War:
But modern people come into church with the impressions of the outside world and all its images…still quivering in their mind. Their beliefs are shadowy and elusive; they sit and cannot focus their attention…But if there are paintings… their minds can fix on these, quieten gradually and make their ascent into the world of which the paintings are only the shadow.
Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch’s work “Baptism of Christ” (1951) hangs in the cathedral, though was not featured in the Slow Art Day event this year.
Workman himself wrote the following about hosting Slow Art Day:
Events like the Slow Art Day are ideal for a Cathedral like Chichester. It gives participants the opportunity to spend time before the individual artworks. These artworks are in the location for which they were created. They are there for a purpose; they have something to say, and I think that the space itself has a part the play.
Chichester Cathedral, April 2012. Photo by Evgeniy Podkopaev. Image source: Wikipedia.
Chichester Cathedral is one of the three churches that participated in Slow Art Day this year, along with Sint-Pauluskerk in Antwerp, Belgium who has been taking the lead in the Slow Art Day church movement. We hope they can continue to inspire more churches to participate, and look forward to what they come up with in 2024.
