
Visit The Gradient, our online design publication.
Visit The Gradient, our online design publication.
Watch lectures by some of the most adventurous designers practicing today.
Minnesota by Design is a web-based initiative by the Walker Art Center to document the rich landscape of design across the state. The Minnesota by Design site was conceived as part of the Walker Art Center’s celebration of its 75th anniversary as a public art center. Although the Walker has presented contemporary architecture and design since its founding in 1940, there is no official collection of such objects at the museum. By eschewing the object-centered nature of most museum collecting and its attendant issues of conservation and connoisseurship, the Walker was free to explore design in the larger context of the cultural and social issues from which it arises and in which it resides.
Intangibles was an online collection of art objects that have no physical form, existing side by side with the very tangible items already for sale on the Walker Shop site. See the objects.
The Walker embodies progressive design through the presentation of design exhibitions, events, and initiatives as well as through the practice of its award-winning in-house design studio, adventurous architecture and landscape, and publishing programs. Learn more about the studio here.
Please note: The Walker’s Mildred S. Friedman Design Fellowship is currently on hiatus until Fall 2021. Please check back for more information in the future.
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Since 1980, the Walker’s Design department has maintained a graphic design fellowship program that provides recent graduates the opportunity to work in a professional design studio environment.
We are not currently accepting applications.
We are searching for designers who are comfortable and adept at developing projects for both print and screen and can move fluidly between media. Ideal candidates will be firmly grounded in visual design principles and the print design process, with some experience in interaction design a plus. In addition to print projects such as exhibition identities and collateral materials, the fellow will also work on select projects such as online publishing initiatives, campaigns, and signage. The fellow will join an accomplished team of professionals known for creating industry-leading work. Immersed in the Design and Editorial department, fellows gain a deeper understanding of design; work on projects with deep, rich, interesting content; and are expected to produce work to the highest standards of design excellence. Fellows are employed full-time and are involved in all aspects of the design process, including client meetings and presentations through production and development.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, fellows come from graphic design programs throughout the United States and abroad. Fellows represent a diverse range of design programs, such as the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Yale University School of Art, Royal College of Art, ECAL, Werkplaats Typografie, Rhode Island School of Design, Art Center College of Design, California Institute of the Arts, Cranbrook Academy of Art, ECAL, Eastern Michigan University, California College of Art, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, NC State University, among many others.
Please wait for the position to be posted on the Walker’s job board. Once it is posted, please use the job application site to submit the following application materials: a letter of interest, a résumé, names and contact information of three references, and a PDF portfolio containing 8-10 examples of graphic design work (no larger than 19 MB).
No. Because of the extensive training and preparation the studio undertakes to train fellows, a one-year commitment is necessary.
Since the fellowship is decided in the summer and begins in the fall, only those individuals who have graduated or will have graduated by the time the fellowship begins should apply.
Fellows work on a variety of projects representing a full-range of the departments at the Walker—whether film/video screenings, performing arts events, visual arts exhibitions, new media initiatives, or educational programs. These can vary in size and scope from a postcard invitation to a multiple-page brochure to a series of collateral pieces for an exhibition. Fellows also assist other graphic designers in the department with long-term projects such as exhibition catalogues and promotional campaigns.
The design staff meets to review all applications. Typically, a short-list of finalists is assembled and is invited to interview on-site with members of the department. During this visit, candidates are requested to present their work and are invited to view the work of the department.
We will notify all candidates of their disposition by the end of June. Start date for the fellowship will be at the beginning of August.
Unfortunately, because of the number of applicants and to maintain fairness in the review process, we are unable to conduct interviews with any applicants who are not considered finalists.