Strike a pose and shimmy as we celebrate the New Year with some glamorous festivities curated by artist and organizer Nicole M. Smith. We’ll help you tap into your fierce and fabulous self in this special family-friendly event.
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.
To help us promote future events and programs, this event will be documented with photography. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.
Activity Information
Strike a pose at the “Step and Repeat”, 10 am–3 pm
A “step and repeat” is a photo backdrop. People at a fancy event “step” in front of the backdrop, have their photo taken by the press, then the next person “repeats” the process. For this photo backdrop, add a drawing of your favorite shoes, then step up to snap a pic!
Adorn Your Adornments: Beaded Mask Lanyards, 10 am–3 pm
Winter is here and keeping ourselves and our community healthy is important! Who said masks need to be plain and boring? Let’s make beaded lanyards to keep our masks handy while expressing our individuality.
Royalty for a Day, 10 am–3 pm
Make your own paper crown with artists Myc Daz and Aurum Oro. Decorate it in a way that expresses your creativity and flair, and then pose with it in front of a photo backdrop.
Short Film: Filante by Marion Jamault, 10 am–3 pm
This nine-minute film about a magical bat and a girl looking for her lost pet rat will play on a loop.
Emcee Nicole M. Smith and DJ Indigo, 10 am–3 pm
Get grooving with DJ sets by Indigo and get shimmyin’ with Nicole M. Smith as she invites ages 0 years to the young-at-heart to spotlight their 2025 moves! Shimmy Spotlights will occur at 11 am and 2 pm!
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
Radical Healing Artist and Organizer Nicole M Smith has experience and expertise in using artistic methods to address trauma, difficult experiences, and injustice to unravel dynamics of disempowerment, oppression, and systemic methods of control. She has crafted her aesthetic by fusing Theater of the Oppressed, Art of Hosting, Mindfulness, Supportive Listening, and the Amplification of Muted Voice(s). She does this through lecture, performance, teachings, and workshop/residency design and partnership. Her work has been experienced at the International Federation of Settlement Houses in Berlin, the Youth Services of America Conference in Houston, the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America Conference in New Orleans, and more. She has spoken at Augsburg College, Macalester College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and more; and has held residency at Roosevelt High School, Southside Family Charter School, University Settlement in New York City, and more. She is a Partnered Artist with Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools (K-12). Smith is a Graduate of the Creative Community Leadership Institute and HOPE Community’s SPEAC Program, recognized by Intermedia Arts’ as a Changemaking Artist, and more. In 2016, she was honored to have been invited to the White House (under President Obama’s Administration) for her work in the Bisexual/Queer Community.
Rooted in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul, Aurum and Myc Daz are a multidisciplinary artist duo whose work bridges local connection and global inspiration. As cofounders of Discover Dope, a creative consulting agency, they collaborate on public arts projects, development initiatives, and engagement events that celebrate diverse voices and transform spaces into dynamic expressions of culture and identity. Both artists bring a world-traveled perspective to their work. Aurum, a prominent international DJ, recently completed a two-year residency in Mexico City, while Myc Daz, an Emmy-nominated artist recognized for his work on Twin Cities PBS’s That Got Weird, has cultivated a storytelling approach that resonates universally. They were part of the artist team that designed the Frogtown Community Center terrazzo floor, and created the celebrated 180-foot mural at Springboard for the Arts, blending their shared vision and global influences into these transformative projects. Their work also includes leading the Frogtown Neighborhood Association’s groundbreaking Small Area Plan, reimagined as a graphic novel to make urban planning accessible and engaging. Through Discover Dope, Aurum and Myc Daz continue to elevate art and storytelling, weaving international experiences into their commitment to fostering community and connection.
A DJ/singer/songwriter/poet/published model, DJ Indigo (aka Indigo The Siren Inc.) comes from the intent to call everyone attention to consciousness. Indigo’s sound gives soulful sultry, with good vibes and good energy. Indigo invites you into her consciousness of music—come vibe with her.
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