Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly event designed for kids, teens, and adults with sensory processing differences, autism spectrum disorder, or developmental disabilities. The galleries will be closed to the general public, allowing visitors to enjoy the museum in a calm environment with accommodations such as quiet spaces, fidgets, and sunglasses available. Experience a selection of current exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In December, explore the exhibitions Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s, Make Sense of This: Visitors Respond to the Walker’s Collection, and Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection.
To support the health and safety of visitors at increased risk for COVID-19, masks are required at Sensory Friendly Sunday for visitors over age 2. Accommodations are available if someone in your party is unable to tolerate masking. Please email access@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7561 for more information.
This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program.
Admissions
While walk-ins are welcome, we encourage you to reserve your space ahead of time. Sensory Friendly Sunday is typically less busy from 8 to 9:30 am, and busier from 9:30 to 11 am.
Activity Information
Art-Making Activity, 8–11 am
Join teaching artist Alexandra Beaumont in the Art Lab to create a miniature sculpture using colorful wire and pipe cleaners.
Gallery Activity, 8–11 am
Use a special set of dice to design a new, imaginary instrument in an activity inspired by artist Tony Conrad.
Short Film, 8–11 am
Stop by the Bentson Mediatheque to watch the short film Mitch Match #22, a stop-motion animation created by director Géza M. Tóth using only matchsticks. The film is three minutes and will loop between 8–11 am. This is a relaxed screening with sound reduced. Visitors are free to come and go, move, and otherwise make themselves comfortable in the space.
Accessibility
The short film will be captioned in English.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
The exhibition <a href=”http://Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection features multiple video-based artworks that include sound. Sound in the exhibition has been reduced, and some galleries feature reduced light levels.
The exhibition Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s contains nudity and mature themes. A sculpture in Gallery 1 includes a chemical that resembles wet or dried blood on gauze bandages. It may also have a metallic odor. Some artworks in the exhibition feature flashing, flickering, or disorienting visual effects. Some artworks feature unexpected sounds or changes in volume, pitch, and tone. Sound in the exhibition will be reduced for Sensory Friendly Sunday.
For more information about accessibility, or to request additional accommodations for this performance, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
Bio
Alexandra Beaumont is a textile artist and dancer. She was born and raised in South Carolina to a Jamaican father and American mother, both working musicians. After working in New York City as a menswear designer, she returned to a fine arts practice, incorporating her love for fabrics and hand sewing. Beaumont now lives in Minneapolis, where she makes work centering themes of personal reconstruction, community, and celebratory display. Her first solo exhibition, Version, was presented at Ridgewater College in Minnesota in 2022. She is a 2022 recipient of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund grant and a 2023 Forecast Early Career Project grantee. She is a member of PF Studios in Minneapolis and contributes to the development team of Public Functionary, a gallery, performance space, and café supporting BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists in the Twin Cities.
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