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 exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In February, explore the exhibitions Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s, Five Ways In: Themes from the Collection, and Tetsuya Yamada: Listening.
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 Marcus Rothering in the Art Lab to transform a simple stick into a colorful wand using yarn coiling techniques.
Gallery Activity, 8–11 am
Use a pegboard and rubber bands to replicate the lines and shapes you find in artworks included in the exhibition Tetsuya Yamada: Listening, or create your own design.
Short Film, 8–11 am
Stop by the Bentson Mediatheque to watch the short film. In Musical Socks, an eager rabbit named Darko is excited to perform at the town’s winter festival, but needs some help discovering his special talent. The film is 10 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, Content, and Sensory Notes
The exhibition Multiple Realities 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. Staff are happy to answer questions about the location of these artworks.
An artwork in Tetsuya Yamada: Listening features flickering or disorienting visual effects. Staff are happy to answer questions about the location of this artwork.
The short film will be captioned in English.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
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
Marcus Rothering (he/him) is a ceramics and fiber/textile artist based in Minneapolis. He creates large-scale sculptures and self-portrait wall rugs, made using a tufting gun. Rothering holds a BA in studio art and a minor in digital media from Metropolitan State University. He is currently working on his MFA at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities in the ceramics and sculpture department. HIs work has been shown at galleries and art centers including Soo Visual Art Center, Minnesota Textile Center, Fresh Eye Gallery, MirrorLab, and Mudflat Pottery School. Rothering has worked with Minneapolis Public Schools as an emotional support staff, helping students regulate emotions and assisting with school work. During this time, he saw firsthand the benefits of introducing a textile art project to students dealing with crisis. His teaching style is playful and open to the many possibilities of problem-solving.
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