Explore a range of activities and art-making on Free First Saturday!

Local sound art duo Beatrix*JAR will curate an unforgettable day in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Whimsical audio delights and activities led by local sound artists and musicians will have families tapping their feet and creating their own beautiful sounds.

In the event of rain, activities will move inside the Walker Art Center.

Enjoy free gallery admission and family fun for all on the first Saturday of each month. Activities designed for kids ages 6 to 12 are offered from 10 am to 3 pm.

Activity: Beatmaking, 10 am–3 pm

Slam Academy introduces you to electronic music and beats. Learn how to DJ and hear your voice recorded and turned into music! Live DJ demonstration at 1:30 pm.

Activity: Cooking Vinyl, 10 am–3 pm

Craft a sound collage in this interactive activity that utilizes vintage records, turntables, and tape machines. Led by Danny Sigelman.

Activity: Ear of the Beholder, 10 am–3 pm

Animal communications scientist Norman Lee, from the University of Minnesota, presents a playlist that tests your recognition factor of popular songs. You’ll also investigate ways that various animals can hear, including fish, crickets, and frogs!

Activity: Music of Your Name, 10 am–3 pm

Match your name to notes on a keyboard by creating your own color-coded score. Throughout the day, name scores will be played and collected for a sonata. Led by Ed Vogel from Piano Lab.

Activity: Wind Chime Laboratory, 10 am–3 pm

Explore ways that different materials resonate and interact with the wind. Attach a sample to a wind chime designed by Dawn Schot Klotzbach and find your favorite sounds.

Activity: Wind Harps, 10 am–3 pm

Artist and composer Philip Blackburn has taken an ancient concept—the Aeolian harp—and constructed contemporary instruments using fishing line, coat hangers, and cat food cans. Listen to the songs of the weather as vibrations in the wires produce ever-shifting audible harmonies.

Performance: King Baron, 11:30 am and 12:30 pm

A New Orleans–inspired trio of Paul Fonfara, Cameron Kinghorn, and Evan Clark play classic sounds of old time jazz with their own spin.

Performance: Dreamland Faces, 1:30 and 2:30 pm

The accordion and musical saw duo of Andy McCormick and Karen Majewicz share their original instrumental compositions. They have composed scores for more than 50 silent films and regularly play live shows throughout the Midwest.