Slow Art Day

About Slow Art Day

Join us for a self-guided experience, highlighting the practice of slow looking and observation in the Special Exhibit Gallery. Ask for a Slow Art Day Guide at the front desk and head to the Special Exhibit Gallery for a guided experience of Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams.

Allow yourself uninterrupted time with the photography on exhibit. Use your guide to reflect on your observations either individually, through journal writing response, or with your own learning community. Invite friends and family to have a conversation on what you each discovered and noticed.

On average, museumgoers tend to view objects for under 30 seconds. Some say 7 seconds is the most time a viewer will spend looking at an object in a museum or gallery. How long does 30 seconds feel like? What about 5 minutes? How does the time we spend looking at something influence our observation?

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. Learn more at: www.slowartday.com

About The Exhibit

Cecil Williams (b. 1937) is a veteran photojournalist and native of Orangeburg, SC. Williams documented many significant stories and events during the civil rights era, including the prosecution of Briggs v. Elliott (early 1950s) and the Orangeburg Massacre (1968). At age 14, Williams became the youngest contributing photographer to JET magazine. Williams’ career spans over 70 years; he has authored several books and serves as the director of the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum.

This exhibition features a selection of Williams’ photographs, accompanied by interpretive text for each, highlighting Williams’ work while also exploring the broader role of photography in the Civil Rights movement. This is the first photography exhibition to be featured in the museum’s Special Exhibit Gallery.

This exhibit is sponsored through the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation Florence County Museum Civil Justice Fund.

Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams will be on display through May 17, 2026, in the Special Exhibit Gallery.