Library and Archives
With over 40,000 books and 80 art periodicals, the Walker Art Center’s Library and Archives contain a wealth of information on contemporary and modern art and artists working in a variety of mediums.
The Library includes over 40,000 books, 80 art publications, hundreds of pamphlets, and artist files on contemporary art and artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. Subjects include Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Design, Architecture, Performance/Performing Arts, and Film. The library is particularly strong in books about painters and sculptors from 1945 to the present and mid-20th-century architecture and design.
The Archives contain the institutional history of the Walker Art Center, including information on exhibitions and events held by the Walker. They include correspondence, press, photographs, video, and ephemera dating back to the Walker Art Center opening in 1940. The Archives also include the T. B. Walker Collection and Art Gallery records, 1860–1939. In addition to Walker-related documents, there are special collections, including the Merce Cunningham Dance Company Sets and Costumes archive, the Siah Armajani Studio Archive, and the Franklin Artworks Gallery.
Hours
By Appointment
| Wednesday–Friday | 10 am–5 pm |
Open to the Public
| Free Thursday Nights | 5–8 pm | (closed June–August) |
| Free First Saturdays | 10 am–3 pm | (closed June–September) |
Collections at a Glance
40,000+
Contemporary art books
80
Art Periodicals
2,000
Artist Books
5,200
Artist Files
4,000 lin. ft.
Institutional Records and Special Collections
6,000
Audio and Video Files
640,000
Still Images
Highlights
Archives
The archives provide a rich resource for study on the Walker Art Center, with materials dating back to the private collection of T. B. Walker in 1879 to Walker’s most recent exhibitions and events.
Contact the Archives
Rosemary Furtak Artist Book Collection
This collection of “books that refuse to behave like books” includes books by artists represented in the Walker’s permanent collection as well as exemplary work by local book artists.
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Walker Publications
For over 75 years, the Walker has explored the cutting edge of publishing across form and content. This continues today through our evolving print and digital publishing endeavors.
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Interdisciplinary Initiative
This multiyear Interdisciplinary Initiative (2016–2020), funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, bolstered the Walker’s commitment to artists working at the intersection of the performing and visual arts.
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Finding Aids
Performing Arts
Exhibitions
Loans and Reproduction Requests
The Walker regularly lends works from its collections to exhibitions, nationally and internationally, and circulates digital photography assets, upon request.