What energizes your creativity? Vibrant colors? Melodies in music? Artists find inspiration in the world around them, including from music, food, nature, and history. Come ignite your imagination with the Walker’s newest exhibition Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon, and explore how music and painting can inspire each other alongside a live saxophonist.
Free First Saturday features free gallery admission from 10 am to 5 pm, and drop-in art activities until 3 pm. Gallery admission tickets are available in advance online and on-site on the event day from the Main Lobby desk.
Activity Information
Jazz Up the Shapes, 10 am–3 pm
Artist Stanley Whitney’s paintings were inspired by jazz music, ancient geometry, and architecture. In this activity, experiment with shapes to create patterns. As you work, listen to live saxophone. How do repeating shapes resemble repeating sounds in jazz?
Reflections of Sunshine, 10 am–3 pm
How do you light up a room? Artist Yayoi Kusama uses reflection and shape to bring light into dark spaces. In this activity, we will be creating reflective window hangers to spread sunlight during our dark winter months.
Something You Can Feel, 10:30 am–12 noon, 1–3 pm (program runs every 30 mins.)
Listen to music and let the sounds move your paintbrush as you paint blindfolded! Allow “something you can feel” to guide what you create, led by teaching artist Rajine the Queen. This guided activity is 20 minutes long and will start on the hour and half-hour, with a break from 12 noon–1 pm.
Short Film: Gather + Listen, 10 am–3 pm
The animated film Gather + Listen by Adebukola “Buki” Bodunrin focuses on the subtle movements and rhythms at an owambe, a Nigerian street party. As people come together in joy, their hearts begin to beat to the same rhythm, as if united in happiness. The film lasts 4 minutes and will loop throughout the day. Major support to preserve, digitize, and present the Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection is generously provided by the Bentson Foundation.
Saxophone Performance: Yuniorsax, 10 am–3 pm
Listen to Yuniorsax (aka Yunior Romero) play a variety of songs on saxophone, including jazz and kids favorites from movies such as Frozen.
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
The short film will be captioned in English.
For more information about accessibility, visit our Access page.
For questions on accessibility, or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
Bios
Twin Cities–based multimedia artist and educator Rajine Williams’s work delves into the complexities of Black women’s femininity, body, and identity. Her aesthetic, which she calls “Afrocentric Eclectic,” reflects a deep pride in Black womanhood while celebrating its diversity and richness. Her artwork encompasses drawing, painting, sculpture, and filmmaking, often incorporating 3D elements and found or recycled materials. Williams is dedicated to teaching art to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. Her teaching philosophy encourages creative exploration by setting thematic goals without rigid expectations for the outcome. She embraces subjectivity, urging students to express their own perspectives and interpretations freely. Williams holds a BA in art from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and is pursuing a master’s degree in visual arts with K–12 licensure at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Yuniorsax (aka Yunior Romero) is a saxophone player originally from Cuba and currently residing in the Twin Cities. Romero has performed around the state of Minnesota and internationally.
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