Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly free 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 Walker exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In May, explore the exhibitions Pacita Abad, Kahlil Robert Irving: Archaeology of the Present, Make Sense of This: Visitors Respond to the Walker’s Collection, and Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection.
On Sensory Friendly Sundays, we require visitors over age 2 to wear face masks inside the building to support the safety and comfort of families and attendees.
This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program.
Admission Tickets
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
Try an Art-Making Activity, 8–11 am
Join teaching artist Sophia Munic in the Art Lab to create a paper patchwork collage inspired by Pacita Abad’s sewn-and-painted artworks. Then adorn your artwork using materials favored by Abad, including buttons, shells, and sequins.
Try a Gallery Activity, 8–11 am
Use your close-looking skills to complete a larger-than-life puzzle based on artworks on view in the exhibition Pacita Abad.
Watch a Short Film, 8–11 am
Stop by the Bentson Mediatheque to watch a short film. At the Conservator’s Bench: Pacita Abad’s Flight to Freedom follows the progress of a team of conservators at National Gallery Singapore as they prepare Abad’s monumental painting Flight to Freedom for exhibition. This behind-the-scenes documentary lasts 13 minutes and will loop between 10 am and 3 pm. Capacity is limited to 10 people at a time. This is a relaxed screening with its sound reduced, appropriate for all ages. Visitors are free to come and go, move, and otherwise make themselves comfortable in the space.
Attendance Requirements
Masks are required for Sensory Friendly Sunday visitors over age 2 to support the safety and comfort of attendees. If you have questions or require additional assistance, please email info@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7600.
Bios
Sophia Munic is a textile artist who uses traditional sewing, quilting, and soft sculpture techniques to recontextualize themes of comfort, memory, and gender. They use found fabrics to investigate their relationship to desire and intimacy. Munic teaches queer-centered workshops at Curiosity Studio and will be leading Embodied Material, a queer textile reading group and group exhibition with Fresh Eye Arts this summer. They host an interactive performance, How To Move With Wonder, which was presented at Art Shanty Projects last winter. Munic has exhibited work at the Waiting Room Gallery in Minneapolis and will be an artist in residence with Lanesboro Arts this summer.
Accessibility, Content, and Sensory Notes
The short film will be captioned.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
The exhibition Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection (Galleries 4–6) features multiple video-based artworks that include sound. Sound in the exhibition has been reduced, and some galleries feature reduced light levels.
The exhibition Kahlil Robert Irving: Archaeology of the Present (Gallery C) contains wood that has been treated with sealant and has a strong aroma.
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.
