04/03/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bloomington, Ill. – This year's Slow Art Day on Route 66: Centennial Celebration marks five years of encouraging folks to slow down and discover the joy of art in Central Illinois; as well as 100 years of the Mother Road. Over 20 locations across McLean County are participating in this inclusive, accessible, art education and appreciation event on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All Slow Art Day goers are welcome to attend a free closing reception with sips and bites at the Herb Eaton Studio & Gallery from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Downtown Bloomington.
Slow Art Day festivities will take place at museums, galleries, studios, sculpture parks, and other cultural sites across all seven continents. With a simple mission, Slow Art Day aims to help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. In April 2022, Bloomington-Normal was credited with holding the first citywide Slow Art Day celebration in the world. Downtown Bloomington has an inspiring art scene with over 100 local artists’ work on display, over a dozen individual art spaces open to the public, and more than 35 public art installations.
Pamala Eaton, gallerist and owner of Herb Eaton Studio and Gallery, states, “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.”
“Slow looking and slow making are invaluable practices and transformative acts in our exceedingly expeditious world,” says Hannah Johnson, Bloomington-based arts and humanities educator. “Slow Art Day helps place the emphasis on practice. Take a moment, or a few, to practice being present in life with and through art.”
There's something for everyone to enjoy on Slow Art Day. This year’s guests will have a chance to explore the art studios and galleries of Downtown Bloomington artists beginning with a Slow Art Day Preview Night on First Friday April 3 from 4-8 p.m. and continuing on Saturday, April 11.
Meander from the Downtown Bloomington art galleries to a world built of discarded machinery, scrap parts, and concrete for a Sunday, April 12 program at the nearby 410 Sculpture Park in partnership with Bloomington Public Library (registration required).
Experience art viewing and artmaking in Normal at University Galleries of Illinois State University on Saturday, April 11 (with registration) and at Illinois Art Station two weeks later on their free fourth Saturday, April 25. The mission of Slow Art Day continues into May with a slow looking-inspired exhibition at The Coffeehouse in Uptown Normal featuring artists from The Hangar Art Company.
As always, Slow Art Day on Route 66 is prime time for studio and gallery visitors to collect stamps in their Art Scene in McLean County Passport, made possible by Visit BN.
🌐: www.visitbn.org/slow-art-day/
Participating Slow Art Day Locations:
BLOOMINGTON, IL
🎨 410 Sculpture Park / Power House Art, 410 S. Madison St.
🎨 Art Vortex Studio, 101 W. Monroe St., Suite 210 (2nd floor)
🎨 Beluga Press LLC Art Gallery, 313 N. Main St.
🎨 Bloomington Public Library, Illinois, 205 E. Olive St.
🎨 Herb Eaton Studio and Gallery, 411 N. Center St.
🎨 Inside Out: Accessible Art, 200 W. Monroe St.
🎨 Jan Brandt Gallery, LLC., 418 N. Main St.
🎨 J.Y.Langston Studio & Gallery, 103 W. Monroe St.
🎨 Joann Goetzinger Studio and Gallery, 313 N. Main St.
🎨 Main Gallery 404, Inc., 404 N. Main St.
🎨 Main Street Yoga of Bloomington/Von Champs Boutique, 402 N. Main St.
🎨 Mandy Roeing Fine Art Studio and Gallery, 105-A W. Monroe St.
🎨 McLean County Arts Center, 601 N. East St.
🎨 McLean County Museum of History, 200 N. Main St.
🎨 Second Presbyterian Church, 404 N. Prairie St. (APRIL 2 & APRIL 3)
🎨 Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, 105 W. Front St.
🎨 The Coffee Hound, 407 N. Main Street
🎨 The Painted Wraith Curiosity Shoppe, 106 W. Monroe St.
🎨 Threshold To Hope, Inc., 200 W. Monroe St.,
LEXINGTON, IL
🎨 City of Lexington, IL, 329 W Main St.
🎨 Sirius Coffee Roasters, 610 W. Main St.
NORMAL, IL
🎨 Illinois Art Station, 101 East Vernon Ave. (APRIL 25)
🎨 Normal Public Library, 206 W. College Ave.
🎨 The Coffee Hound, 205 W. North St.
🎨 University Galleries of Illinois State University, 11 Uptown Circle
SPRINGFIELD, IL
🎨 The Pharmacy Gallery & Art Space, 623 E Adams St.
