A Design Studio within a Museum
Since its earliest days as a public art center, the Walker Art Center included a radical concept—a working design studio embedded within a museum. In the decades since, the Walker’s Design Studio has continued to be leader in the field of graphic design, garnering over 100 awards since the 1990s alone. Exhibition design, books, signage, photography, video, web, and more are all produced in-house by a dedicated group of creatives from a variety of backgrounds, from Ivy League universities to the Marines, as well as those who are self-taught. We asked this eclectic team to reflect on some of their favorite projects and aspects of working at the Walker.
Kam Herndon, Image Specialist
After the installation of the Summer in Color campaign on the exterior of the Walker building, the design team and I romped around the grass below—cartwheeling, laughing, and enjoying the first rays of the loveliest Minnesota season. Working as a designer on the grounds of such a beautiful garden (and among an incredible team) is truly a gift.
Andrew Bogard, Design Fellow
Pamela Johnson, Senior Editor
The Walker shaped my understanding of art and design. Growing up in Minneapolis, I was a 2 year old at Walker family art making activities, visited the galleries as teenager constantly, and went to the Design Insights lecture series while in undergrad (not to mention had curators sneak out bootleg copies of films for me). It's been a dream to come back and join the legacy of a museum that shaped who I am.
Jake Yuzna, Content Producer
I am pleased to mark my first year as Design Director at the Walker with the opening of the Multiple Realities exhibition, which included work with Ziga Testen and our in-house team on the catalogue, exhibition graphics, and advertising campaign.
Mark Owens, Design Director
Asli Altay, Head of Design, Content, and Communications
I enjoy the wide variety of projects we work on at Walker and the diverse collaborators and communities we work with. Every project contains new interesting design challenges and the opportunity to get to know incredibly inspiring people through the work. Recently, I am grateful to have engaged with many skilled coworkers across the Walker while designing for Avant Garden, Walker's annual benefit. All of whom elevated the project with their unique creative talents and abilities, often tapping their personal passions and interests. Currently, I'm working on designing a book with local artist Tetsuya Yamada. I am humbled to be able to utilize my design training to help support artists in our community.
Ian Babineau
Learn more about the Design Studio, its work, and annual lecture series Insights here, here, and here.
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