Credit: Walker Art Center
During the month of February, visitors to the Walker are welcome to join a unique outdoor art experience in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Moonlight Snowshoe Tours
February 8, 15, 22 at 6 and 7 pm
Bundle up in your winter best and join us for moonlight snowshoe tours of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Meet your guide inside, then venture out to see the snow-covered sculptures. Snowshoes are available free of charge, courtesy the University of Minnesota Center for Outdoor Adventure. Meet in Main Lobby.
Little Box Sauna
February 8—March 4, 2018
Not into the cold? Sweat it out in the portable Little Box Sauna, designed by Andrea Johnson and Molly Reichert. Little Box Sauna will set up shop outside of the Esker Grove patio in front of the Walker for about a month, with an outdoor winter patio lounge to bookend your sauna experience.
About LBS
Little Box Sauna is a “mobile hot spot” that generates vital and embodied social space in the contemporary city. The dynamic form moves from site to site, acting as a visible small-scale stitch in the holes of the urban fabric, over time weaving together a web of shared experiences between diverse groups of people and neighborhoods. Supporting social engagement, relaxation, health and fun in a custom-designed yet freely accessible structure, Little Box Sauna is at once is a beacon for quality and equality in the built environment.
The mobile sauna began its travels through the Bloomington community during the cold months of February and March of 2015, stopping at the front doors of area businesses to create a hub where visitors and employees could socialize in a way new to the community, based on Finnish and other cultural traditions of group sweat.
The sauna has since traveled throughout the region to the Downtown, Seward, Northeast, South Minneapolis and Como neighborhoods. Little Box Sauna was conceived, designed, built and deployed as an experimental Creative Placemaking project, through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Artistry, and additional support from Mall of America and IKEA.
Visit the Little Box Sauna:
- Free open sauna on Target Free Thursdays Nights for Winter #atTheWalker: February 8, 15, 22 from 5-9 pm
- Free open sauna for families to check out on Free First Saturday, February 10, 10 am-3 pm
Reserve a Sauna:
- Book a sauna reservation here: littleboxsauna.com
- Cost is $20 for a 90-minute group session, max 10 people
- Dates include February 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, and March 1-4 (5:00-9:30 pm on Fridays, and 1:00-5:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays)
- Private group rentals available for $300 for two hours before or after times listed above.
- If you still have questions, please visit the FAQ page here.
Come and celebrate Winter at the Walker with myriad activities indoors and out. Trek out into the cold, or Thaw out inside with a warm drink and more. The Main Lobby transforms into a hygge haven in our Walker Warming House with art-making, music, and more.
TARGET FREE THURSDAY NIGHTS:
February 8
Art-making: Mandi Smethells, 5-9pm
Cozy up with mixed media fiber art, in a drop-in workshop by subcultural fiber artist, Mandi Smethells.
Winter Stories with Gerald White, 7:30 pm
Hailing from Leech Lake Reservation, Gerald White shares winter stories about growing up in the woods, playing “Rez” hockey, trapping, hunting, playing tag, sliding on toboggans and car hoods, etc.
Music: DJ Frank Lyon 5-9 pm
Relax and vibe out to tunes spun on vinyl by DJ Frank Lyon.
February 15
Art Demonstration: John Beltman of the North House Folk Art School, 5-9 pm
John Beltman makes the snowy trek down from Grand Marais to share his decades of expertise about the crafting and history of snowshoes.
February 22
Artmaking: Alyssa Baguss and Jenny Undis of Lunalux, 5-9 pm
Ever curious about the color patterns in weather meteorological reports? Lunalux specially debossed maps, with cartography of the state of Minnesota, allows us to track weather the changing colors of weather patterns.
Music: DJ Brian Engle, 5-9 pm
Relax and vibe out to tunes spun on vinyl by DJ Brian Engle.
FREE FIRST SATURDAY: Cabin Fever
February 10, 10 am—3 pm
Warm up this winter by dancing to Latin inspired beats, listening to the sounds of everyday Cuba, and watching an award-winning Cuban film for kids. Stop by the Art Lab and make your own prints inspired by revolutionary posters found in Adios Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions in Cuban Art Since 1950.
Gallery admission is free for everyone on the first Saturday of each month from 10 am to 6 pm, with a variety of family activities scheduled from 10 am to 3 pm.
Music: DJ Don Cuco
10 am—3 pm
Dance to DJ Don Cuco’s Latin-inspired beats all day.
Art Activity: Printmaking
11 am—3 pm
Learn basic relief printmaking techniques and create your own images inspired by the Cuban revolutionary posters of the 1950s and 60s.
Experience: Sounds from Cuba
11 am—3 pm
Listen to authentic sound recordings of daily life in Cuba. Brought to you by Minnesotan brothers Jesse and Jonah Marks, who founded The Touch of Sound in order to showcase the diversity of the the world in a unique and unexpected way.
Tours: Adios Utopia
12 noon & 2 pm: Spanish-language tour
1 pm: English-language tour
Learn about the exhibition from our expert educators.
Film: Viva Cuba
2 pm
An award-winning Cuban children’s film, Viva Cuba is the dramatic tale of two young friends who go on a runaway adventure across the country when their parents’ differences threaten to come between them. Directed by Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti and Iraida Malberti Cabrera. 2005, Cuba, 80 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles, recommended for ages 9 and up.