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 August, explore the exhibitions This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection, Ways of Knowing, and Kandis Williams: A Surface.
Also, this summer through September (weather permitting), play a free round of mini golf on the Walker’s rooftop between 8 and 11 am. The one-of-a-kind course features distinctive, artist-designed holes and an unrivaled view of the Minneapolis skyline.
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.
Activity Information
Dream Seeds: Calming Intention Pouches Art-Making Activity, 8–11 am
Participants will craft small “dream seed” pouches filled with soft, calming materials and personal intentions. Inspired by the act of planting dreams or carrying comfort, these pouches can be held, tucked under a pillow, or kept close as a tactile reminder of safety and inner wishes.
Clothing Celebration Art-Making Activity, 8–11 am
Notice the clothing worn by the people featured in the portraits in the exhibition This Must Be the Place, then design the outfit you’d want to wear in a portrait.
Short Film: The Little Bird and The Caterpillar by Lena Von Doehren, 8–11 am
Enjoy this animated film and find out how a caterpillar uses creativity to outsmart the fox on his trail. This film is 4 minutes and will screen on a loop. This is a relaxed screening with sound reduced. Visitors are free to come and go, move, and make themselves comfortable in the space.
Mini Golf, 8–11 am
Play a free round of mini golf on the Walker’s rooftop between 8 and 11 am (weather permitting). The one-of-a-kind course features artist-designed holes and an unrivaled view of the Minneapolis skyline. Skyline Mini Golf is partially accessible. All holes are playable from the perimeter, if guests are unable to step onto the holes.
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.
Accessibility, Content, and Sensory Notes
The short film will be captioned in English.
Accessibility Note: To access Gallery 5, take the accessible lift down one level from floor 6.
Content notes: The exhibition Ways of Knowing engages mature themes, including violence and war.
The exhibition Kandis Williams: A Surface engages themes of sexuality, racism, and violence. Some works include nudity and sexual imagery.
Sensory notes: The exhibition This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection includes two video rooms with reduced light levels. Some videos include flashing, flickering, or disorienting visual effects and sound that changes in volume, pitch, and tone.
The exhibition Ways of Knowing includes three video rooms with reduced light levels. Some videos include flickering effects and sounds that change in volume or pitch. Videos on view in the exhibition Kandis Williams: A Surface contain flickering effects and sounds that change in volume, pitch, and tone.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
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.
Bio
Que’Nyse (she/her) is a lifestyle creator, intuitive astrologer, and founder of SensualNoiree—a brand devoted to blending astrology, storytelling, and self-healing through sensory-aligned experiences. Rooted in a background of working with both children and adults with autism, Que’Nyse brings a trauma-informed, deeply empathetic lens to her work. Her creative practice bridges mysticism with practical care, offering accessible tools for emotional regulation, identity exploration, and cosmic connection. Whether through workshops, digital content, or collaborative community events, her work invites people to come home to themselves—gently, creatively, and with intention.
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