SECTOR: Arts & Culture
PARTICIPANTS: 489 individuals
INTRODUCTION
During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) sought to address the escalating vulnerabilities and uncertainties faced by its community. Through the Artful Practices Initiative for Well-Being, MoMA partnered with Lumos Transforms, as a leader in embodied practices, to integrate art with somatic experiences. Together, they introduced a Slow Looking session centered on Kenturah Davis’ work Contending with Contingency, creating a space for collective reflection and connection.
THE CHALLENGE
The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges and left many individuals overwhelmed and seeking solace. Recognizing the need for calming and supportive experiences that could be engaged from the safety of home, MoMA partnered with Lumos Transforms to develop a program to foster embodied art appreciation, well-being and connection during a turbulent time.
THE SOLUTION
Slow Looking: An Artful Practice for Well-Being 
MoMA introduced Slow Looking as a core component of the Artful Practices for Well-Being initiative, providing a structured yet inclusive approach to engaging with art.
Lumos’ Slow Looking session guided participants to engage deeply with Kenturah Davis’ piece Contending with Contingency, using somatic practices to notice their sensations, emotions, and thoughts as part of their observation. Verbal descriptions ensured accessibility for individuals with vision impairments, while activities like writing, drawing, movement, and singing enriched self-expression. The collective reflections encouraged a sense of shared community, fostering connection and mutual support.
THE RESULTS
Participants left the session with a renewed ability to slow down and integrate mindfulness into their daily lives. Many reported surprising shifts in their interpretations of the artwork, highlighting the power of deep engagement to foster personal insights. The program’s multi-modal approach—blending writing, drawing, movement, and singing—encouraged self-expression, with lasting effects on participants’ sense of connection and well-being.
CONCLUSION
Through the Artful Practices for Well-Being initiative, MoMA demonstrated the transformative power of art to heal and connect, especially in challenging times. The Slow Looking session invited participants to engage deeply with artwork through embodiment practices, fostering a restorative and meaningful experience by bringing awareness to their sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Paired with a commitment to accessibility through descriptions and multi-modal activities, this initiative serves as a model for cultural institutions in integrating trauma-informed somatic practices with accessible creative engagement.
