Even Stars Need Strollers

A mural of Angelina and Maddox in Cambodia

Hey, I admit it, I enjoy celebrity gossip just as much as the next guy (well, maybe more.) But, the celeb news never really has any relevance to our work in museums. However, this week is different because Angelina and Brad visited a museum in Canada! And get this…My celebrity insider Jeff Hnilicka whispered to me that Brad had actually called the museum to ask about accessibility. See! See! Even celebrities need strollers. I bring this up because at the new Walker, we’ve been working to make the Walker ultra welcoming for all. Hey, its an ultra po-mo marvel that can be a little challenging for some people and we tend to get a little clogged on days when we’re hosting 200 or 300 families with strollers. But, we’re working hard to address all these issues. During the Peace Games Cultural Festival in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on August 11th, over 1500 youth…I mean kids got to visit the galleries. Groups of twenty arrived every 20 minutes with the requisite number of chaperones, guides and staff escorts. Tour guides were stationed at key works throughout the galleries to meet the kids as they arrived with their escort. It was a fantastic experience to introduce all of these kids to the joys of art and creativity. Our traffic control grid held up and all were served wonderfully. And then we topped it off with a youth spoken word, dance and music showcase in the McGuire Theater! So, in anticipation of their visit, we can assure Brad and Angelina that they will have no trouble getting around the Walker with little Maddox and Zahara. Our only request is that they let us know in advance if they will be attending Free First Saturday…We’ll want to warn the Chief Guard about the possible crowds of onlookers. However, I’m sure we will be just as polite and non-interfering as the Canadians were.

Speak for yourself…