*Due to extreme heat, all activities will be ending at 2pm today.*
Summer always rushes by! Before shifting into fall, enjoy a day outside in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden absorbing art, performances, and company in the sun. Check out roaming puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and pop-up performances by Z Puppets Rosenschnoz in the Garden. Then head into the galleries for a last chance to explore the colorful exhibition Pacita Abad and listen to stories by local Filipinix storytellers inspired by the artwork.
Free First Saturday features free gallery admission on the first Saturday of every month. Gallery admission tickets are available online in advance and on-site on the event day from the Main Lobby desk; quantities are limited. Free admission 10 am–5 pm; activities 10 am–2 pm.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a project of the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.
This event will be photographed. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the Walker. Audio of the storytelling in the Pacita Abad exhibition will be recorded and included in a forthcoming episode of Kuwentuhan, a podcast by Marlina Gonzales and Ramon Hough. By being in the space, you consent to the audio appearing in Kuwentuhan and potential future use by the Walker.
Activity Information
Kuwentuhan Story Circle, 12 noon–1:30 pm
Meet and listen to inspiring, lively storytellers from the local Filipinix community. Elders and youth will exchange stories and memories inspired by Pacita Abad’s artworks. These intergenerational story sessions will be recorded and available as a forthcoming episode of Kuwentuhan, a podcast by Marlina Gonzalez and Ramon Hough.
In the Heart of the Beast Roaming Puppets, 10–11 am and 12:15–1:15 pm
Something big is on the move in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden this Free First Saturday! Puppeteers from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre will be on the loose with larger-than-life puppets. Keep on the lookout and say hello when you spot them!
In the Heart of the Beast Pop-up Puppet Library, 10 am–3 pm
Try out a collection of puppets and props at a mini puppet library hosted by In the Heart of the Beast puppeteers on the lawn near Spoonbridge and Cherry.
Z Puppets Rosenschnoz presents Say it! Sing it! Play it! in Cherokee, 11–11:30 am and 1:30–2 pm
Sing along with Dagsi Turtle and Jisdu Wabbit and help keep the Cherokee language alive. Turtle and Wabbit are on a quest to get Grandmother Turtle back up on her feet. Through their catchy songs you, too, will learn how to count to three, and say hello and thank you in Cherokee.
Art-Making Activity: Ribbon Wands, 10 am–3 pm
Create and decorate your very own ribbon wand to move with and catch the summer breeze.
Family Tour, 11:30 am
Tour for General Audiences, 1 pm
Join a Walker educator for a family-friendly guided tour of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at 11:30 am (40 min.) or take a guided tour for general audiences at 1 pm (60 min.). To participate, meet outside the Walker’s Main Entrance five minutes before the tour start time. Tours explore a selection of artworks and include interactive discussion.
Bios
Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center is dedicated to building, supporting, and cultivating opportunities for Native, Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples through cultural arts and activism. Indigenous Roots provides accessible space and programming to promote and practice holistic well-being through Indigenous arts, culture, and tradition.
Since 1973, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre has helped to create and cultivate the puppetry community in the Twin Cities. A world-renowned theater recognized for our large-scale puppets and political activism, the organization has brought some of the most talented puppeteers to Minneapolis, while maintaining a strong connection to the local puppet community. In the Heart of the Beast (HOBT) is a community of artists working within our larger community to create magic together. The group makes puppets large and small—monstrous, beautiful, silly, human, plant, and animal, you name it. HOBT artists use gesture, voice, form, and color, giving life to puppets that help tell stories to represent the world as it is and as we dream it could be.
Kuwentuhan is an immigrant story-telling podcast by Marlina Gonzalez and Ramon Hough, for which intergenerational families regale listeners with tales and memories of home and immigrant journeys reflecting the Filipinx American Experience.
Philippine Study Group of Minnesota (PSGM) is the last one remaining of the many organizations formed in response to the Marcos dictatorship. PSGM is active in advocacy for human rights in the Philippines. Their work is centered on continuing to educate and advocate for social justice and provide grassroots socio-economic and educational project funding.
University of the Philippines Alumni in Minnesota’s (UPAM) mission is to promote closer ties among UP alumni in Minnesota and with its alma mater, the University of the Philippines (UP); to support UP academic and cultural programs; and to promote the appreciation of Filipino values, customs, traditions, and arts in Minnesota.
Z Puppets Rosenschnoz brings people of all ages and abilities into the power of playfulness through performances, workshops, and feats of imagination. Since 1998, Creative Directors Chris Griffith (Cherokee Nation citizen) and Shari Aronson have delighted children and adults with their innovative programs in Cherokee Futurism, STEM of Puppetry, Arts and Mindfulness, and Arts for All Abilities. Based in Minneapolis, Z Puppets has toured nationally with their 30-plus original shows for family audiences—from a glow-in-the-dark performance of cell division to a mindfulness musical. They reach thousands of Minnesotans in urban, rural, and suburban areas statewide at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, libraries, and schools. For more adventures with Dagsi Turtle and Jisdu Wabbit, watch their music videos and web series at Z Puppets’ Youtube channel.
Accessibility
The 11 am and 1:30 pm performances of Say it! Sing it! Play it! in Cherokee and the 12 noon Kuwentuhan Story Circle will have ASL interpretation.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is wheelchair accessible. Some activities may take place on grass and gravel surfaces.
To request accommodations for this program or for more information about accessibility, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
