Trading cards, books, stickers, and photos—explore how the things we collect reflect who we are. Join us to make art that expresses what makes you unique and share the stories behind the items you cherish.
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. Seating in the Cinema is limited. Free admission 10 am–5 pm; activities 10 am–3 pm.
Activity Information
Somali Museum Dance Troupe Performances, 11 am and 1 pm
The Somali Museum Dance Troupe, a program of the Somali Museum, brings together Somali American youth to study dances from all regions of Somalia as a way to embrace and celebrate their roots.
Fantastic Skies Crown, 10 am–3 pm
In this activity, you will make thin foil crowns, using the reflective qualities of the foil to echo the sky and clouds. Explore how ordinary materials can transform into art and fantasy! Check out Eduardo Navarro’s Cloud Museum in the Ways of Knowing exhibition to see how the artist brings fantasy into his art practice.
Traditional Hmong Hats with Mandora, 10 am–3 pm
Learn about traditional Hmong hats with teaching artist Mondora Young. The Hmong hat is a piece that the Hmong people wear for the Hmong New Year celebration, when a Hmong woman is getting married, and at special events. There are many different styles of these hats. This activity features one of the most common and traditional Hmong hats worn by Hmong women and daughters.
Short Film: Les Bruits, 10 am–3 pm
The film Les Bruits (2023) features unique animation and uses a catchy tune to celebrate the beauty of crows. The film is seven minutes long and will play on a loop. Directed by Hélène Ducrocq.
Visit the Walker Art Center Library, 10 am–3 pm
The Walker’s library is open! Explore the stacks and find inspiration in the library’s collection of artful books. The library entrance is through the Art Lab.
Tour for Families, 11:30 am
Tour for General Audiences, 1 pm
Recorrido público en español, 3 pm
Join a Walker educator for a guided family tour of artworks on view in the galleries at 11:30 am (40 min.), take a guided tour for general audiences at 1 pm (60 min.), or a tour for general audiences in Spanish at 3 pm (60 min.). Tours explore a selection of works across current exhibitions and include interactive discussion. Meet at the Main Lobby desk five minutes before the tour starts.
Accessibility, Content, and Sensory Notes
The short film will be captioned in English.
Content notes: The exhibition Ways of Knowing engages mature themes, including violence.
The exhibition Kandis Williams: A Surface engages mature themes. Some works contain nudity.
Sensory notes: The exhibition This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection includes two video rooms with reduced light levels, and a 16mm film projection that features both a soundtrack and the sound of the projector running. Some videos include flashing, flickering, or disorienting visual effects and sound that changes in volume, pitch, and tone.
The exhibition Ways of Knowing contains includes three video rooms with reduced light levels. Some videos include flickering effects and sounds that change in volume or pitch.
Videos on view in the exhibition Kandis Williams: A Surface contain flickering effects and sounds that change in volume, pitch, and tone.
For more information or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
Bios
Mandora Young was born in Vientiane, Laos, and came to the United States in 1979 as a refugee to California. She learned Hmong embroidery from both her mother and grandmother, who are skilled in cross-stitching, reverse applique, and story cloth stitching. She started teaching Hmong embroidery to students, adults, and anyone who want to learn about Hmong paj ntaub (flower cloth) in 2018, specializing in traditional White Hmong cross-stitching motif patterns. In her own words, “Making paj ntaub is a way to preserve and continue the Hmong culture and needlework that has been passed down from generations to generations through memorization and continuous paj ntaub making.”
The Somali Museum is the home of traditional Somali arts in Minnesota. A 501c3 organization, the museum displays a collection of more than 1,000 pieces and offers educational programs about Somali traditional culture that are not available anywhere else. The Somali Museum provides an unrivaled opportunity for Minnesotans of all backgrounds to encounter and learn about Somali traditional culture.