Slow Art Day 2026 is coming up Saturday, April 11. The global event’s facilitator recently published its 2025 Annual Report, which details many of the events held last year. Here is the report published about Slow Art Day 2025 at Maryhill Museum of Art:
Multi-Sensory Experience at Maryhill Museum
“For their fifth Slow Art Day, the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington hosted a lively and imaginative slow looking session led by Curator of Education Sorcha Meek Paul.
Participants gathered to spend time with two paintings from the museum’s permanent collection:
- The Wedding Feast c.1660 by Gillis van Tilborg the Younger. Oil on Canvas. Flemish, c. 1625-c.1678
- The Crofters’ Kitchen, 1884 by Robert Henry Roe. Oil on canvas. British, 1822-1905
The session began with several minutes of quiet observation. Visitors were invited to share their initial impressions using the simple phrase “I see…”, taking turns describing what they noticed in the paintings. This approach helped participants to focus on careful observation as well as helped to create community by having the participants build on each other’s discoveries.
Next, Sorcha guided the group through a sensory exercise designed to deepen engagement with the artworks. Participants were asked to imagine stepping into the paintings and to consider what they might smell in the scene. When looking at The Wedding Feast, this question sparked laughter as visitors imagined the smells of food, drink, and a bustling celebration.
Visitors then imagined what they might hear, leading to the discovery of new details, including a man playing a lute in the background of the lively gathering. Participants also considered taste and touch.
Only after this extended slow looking and imaginative exploration did Sorcha introduce historical context. Participants learned that The Wedding Feast was painted around the same era as Johannes Vermeer created Girl with a Pearl Earring, prompting participants to notice similarities.
One of the highlights of the session was the participation of children. For the first time in their Slow Art Day design, they invited younger visitors to join the discussion. The young people brought fresh observations and enthusiasm. As Sorcha noted, it was especially rewarding to see a 10-year-old become excited about looking closely at art.
Through quiet observation, sensory imagination, and shared discovery, the Slow Art Day program at Maryhill Museum of Art created community and joy for visitors of all ages.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are grateful to Sorcha Meek Paul and the team at Maryhill Museum of Art for creating such an engaging and welcoming experience and look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026, which is coming up April 11, 2026.
— Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl”
About the 2025 Annual Report
From SlowArtDay.com:
“Over 15 years, educators and curators at museums and galleries around the world have built something extraordinary:
- More than 1,500 events across every continent — including Antarctica
- Endless creativity in how people experience art slowly
- The rise of citywide events — Mexico City had 37 venues in 2025 and is growing to 55+ in 2026 – to Central Illinois, which helped pioneer the citywide model and this year is producing a region-wide Slow Art Day/weekend of events up and down Route 66
- Expansion into churches, hospitals, and community spaces
- New collaborations, including with Never Search Alone, bringing job seekers together through art and community
At its core, the idea remains simple: help people slow down and really see. But there is a second idea — to open up the art world. No expertise required. No background assumed. Just people, looking at art, together. This movement is built locally, event by event, by people like you. And in a time of growing division and isolation, that matters more than ever.
When people gather to look slowly at art — and then talk about what they see — they connect. They build trust. They remember their shared humanity.
About Slow Art Day
Founded in 2010, Slow Art Day is a global event (more than 1,500 museums and galleries have participated) with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art.