Minneapolis, September 23, 2014—The Walker Art Center’s
Target Free Thursday Nights in October feature a Gather by
D’Amico Brewmaster-in-Residence event with Mark Stutrud of
Summit Brewing (Thursday, October 2); a Radical Presence
related performance by Benjamin Patterson (Thursday, October 9);
the opening party for the exhibition Art at the Center and the kickoff
of Walktoberfest, a celebration of the Walker’s 75th anniversary
(Thursday, October 16); and the annual Student Open House
programmed by the Walker Art center Student Art Council
(Thursday, October 23).
Details about special events follow.
Target Free Thursday Nights
Get inspired. Get in free.
October 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
Galleries open 5–9 pm; special events follow.
Thursday, October 2
Brewmaster-in-Residence: Mark Stutrud of Summit Brewing
Gather by D’Amico
5–9 pm
Throughout the fall, Thursday nights at Gather by D’Amico will
feature some of the best beer on the local market. Meet the
brewermasters and sample a flight of their most desirable suds.
In October, join Summit Brewing Company’s founder and president
Mark Stutrud for a taste of his favorites.
Thursday, October 9
Radical Presence Performance: Benjamin Patterson
Target and Friedman Galleries, 7 pm
Benjamin Patterson presents Pond (1962), an instruction-based
participatory performance involving a floor grid, chance phrasings
of sound, and wind-up toy frogs. Like many of his Fluxus peers,
Patterson has complicated and enriched the relationship between
audience and performer, creating situations that encourage
direct engagement.
The groundbreaking exhibition Radical Presence: Black
Performance in Contemporary Art, on view until January 4, 2015,
is the first comprehensive survey of performance art by black
artists working from the perspective of the visual arts from the
1960s to the present. While black performance has been largely
contextualized as an extension of theater, visual artists have
integrated performance into their work for more than five decades,
generating an important history that has gone largely unrecognized
until now.
Presenting a rich and complex look at this important facet of
contemporary art, the exhibition chronicles the emergence and
development of black performance art across three generations,
beginning with Fluxus and conceptual art in the early 1960s
through present-day practices.
Featuring more than 100 works by some 36 artists, Radical
Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art includes video
and photo documentation of performances, scores and
installations, interactive works, and artworks created as a result of
performative actions. A dynamic range of performances, actions,
and discussions accompany the exhibition’s run at the
Walker. Catalogue available. Radical Presence contains mature
subject matter.
Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art is
organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
The exhibition curator is Valerie Cassel Oliver, Senior Curator,
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) and the Walker
coordinating curator is Fionn Meade.
The exhibition is supported by generous grants from The Andy
Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for
the Arts and the patrons, benefactors and donors to CAMH’s Major
Exhibition Fund. The catalogue accompanying the exhibition is
made possible by a grant from The Brown Foundation, Inc.
The Walker Art Center’s presentation is made possible by
generous support from Angela and Tom Wicka.
Thursday, October 16
Art at the Center: Opening-Night Party
5 – 10 pm
Join us for an evening of festivities, frolic, and nonstop fun in
celebration of our momentous 75th anniversary. Get together on
opening night of Art at the Center: 75 Years of Walker
Collections for a mix of unique art-related activities. Walker
members can enjoy a free drink on the house!
In 2015, the Walker will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its
founding as a public art center dedicated to presenting and
collecting the art of our times. Curated by the Walker’s executive
director Olga Viso and guest curator Joan Rothfuss, the exhibition
looks at 75 years of collecting at the Walker—a history
distinguished not only by bold and often risk-taking choices but
also acquisitions that have consistently breached the boundaries of
media or disciplines. The exhibition foregrounds many of these
prescient choices.
On view for a two-year period will be many iconic works from the
collection, including Edward Hopper’s Office at Night (1940), Franz
Marc’s The Large Blue Horses (1911), Chuck Close’s Big Self
Portrait(1967-68), Yves Klein’s Mondo Cane Shroud (1961),
and others.
Exhibition curators: Olga Viso and Joan Rothfuss, with Andrew
Blauvelt, Jill Vuchetich, and Mia Lopez.
Art at the Center: 75 Years of Walker Collections is sponsored by Target.
Major support for the exhibition is provided by Elizabeth Redleaf.
Additional support provided by Ann Birks. Media partner
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
Hotline
Cargill Lounge
6–10 pm
We all have questions about art. What is its purpose? What makes
good art “good”? Who decides what goes into a collection? Hotline,
a project by artist Kelsey Snook, is a phone bank that lets you
connect to informed people of the art world who are on call to
answer your inquiries. Now is your chance. Pick up the phone, for
one night only, and ask away!
Walktoberfest: Celebrating the Walker’s 75th Anniversary
The Walker Art Center opens its doors with extended hours and
free gallery admission for all to celebrate its 75th anniversary as a
public art center. Enjoy nonstop activities throughout the weekend,
including the opening of the exhibition Art at the Center: 75 Years
of Walker Collections. Celebrate the history of cinema with free
screenings of films from the Ruben/Bentson Collection. The Grove
at Open Field features a beer garden with local brews, bites, and
music all weekend long.
Free Access & Longer Hours
Take in all the art you can handle. With extended hours and free
gallery admission for all, there’s plenty of time to explore all four
major shows. (Thursday–Saturday, 10 am–10 pm; Sunday, 10
am–5 pm)
Suds & Sounds
Enjoy local craft beer (and root beer) with festival fare as you listen
to live music and DJs at the Walker’s very own beer garden.
Thursday: DJ Christy Hunt, cameo by the Jack Brass Band;
Friday: DJ Jake Rudh, cameo by Tropical Depression; Saturday:
DJ Paper Tiger, cameo by Southwire.
Free Family Fun
What kind of creative kid are you? Kids and grown-ups explore
their creative side with family activities, artist-led projects, and artmaking
inspired by the Walker’s collections. (Friday–Sunday, 10
am–4 pm)
Be Part of Walker History with Our Selfie Station
What is your most vivid Walker memory? Help us look back by
adding your voice and pictures to the Walker People’s Archive
(WPA). At the Selfie Station, snapworthy settings and props in the
gallery set the scene for time-traveling photos. Take Walker history
into your own hands! (All weekend long)
Walkertoberfest is made possible by generous support from
Martha and Bruce Atwater.
WALKER@75
Thursday, October 23
Student Open House
Walker galleries and public spaces, 5 – 9 pm
Join the Walker’s Teen Arts Council (WACTAC) for their annual
Student Open House event—an amazing night full of hands-on artmaking,
music, dancing, performances, and shenanigans.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a
Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a
legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Community partners for the evening include the Canvas,
Intermedia Arts, and Juxtaposition Arts.
The Walker Art Center’s Teen Programs are made possible by the
Surdna Foundation.