October Free First Saturday features Kids' Book Fair, Award-Winning Author Readings and Signings, and Literary Art-Making
Free First Saturdays feature free gallery admission on the first Saturday of every month, plus performances, games, art-making, and kids’ films from 10 am to 3 pm. Family friendly food options are available or bring something from home to snack on in the lounge or in the garden.
Free First Saturday: Kids’ Book Fair
Saturday, October 6
10am–3pm
Walker Art Center, Free
Celebrate young readers at the Walker’s first ever Kids’ Book Fair! Listen to award-winning children’s authors share their work, catch demonstrations by illustrators, get your books signed, and create your own literary-themed artwork.
Authors and illustrators will be reading and signing books all day! Special guest Daniel Salmieri (Dragons Love Tacos, Those Darn Squirrels) will read from his new book Bear and Wolf.
The Walker Shop will feature a huge display of children’s picture books, board books, and story books for ages 0–12.
Featuring authors and illustrators:
Eliza Wheeler
10:30 am
Eliza Wheeler is the author/illustrator of Miss Maple’s Seeds, which debuted on the New York TimesBest Seller list. A 2017 Sendak Fellowship recipient, she has illustrated many children’s books, including The Pomegranate Witch (Denise Doyen), Tell Me A Tattoo Story (Alison McGhee), and the 2014 Newbery Honor book Doll Bones (Holly Black).
Phyllis Root
11:30 am
Phyllis Root has published fifty books for children, including Lucia and the Light, Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble, and the Horn Book Award–winning Big Momma Makes the World. Her recent One North Star: A Counting Book won a 2017 Riverby Award, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, and a Midwest Booksellers Choice Award.
Mélina Mangal
12:30 pm
Mélina Mangal writes to fill a void and inspire. Her books include biographies on award-winning authors like Virginia Hamilton and Rita Williams-Garcia: They’re stories she didn’t see in bookstores or on library shelves, so she created them herself. Mangal will read her newest book for children The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, an inspiring true-life tale about a scientist.
Daniel Salmieri
1:30 pm
Daniel Salmieri is an award-winning illustrator of several children’s books, including the New York Times best-seller Dragons Love Tacos.He regularly creates illustrations for magazines and newspapers. Bear and Wolf marks his debut as an author/illustrator.
Sensory Friendly Sunday
Sunday, October 7
8am–11am
Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly, free event for kids, teens, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder or sensory sensitivities and their families, offering the opportunity to make art together, explore the galleries, watch a short film, or just hang out in a different setting
In October and November, check out the new exhibition Siah Armajani: Follow This Line.
Also in October, make a cyanotype print with artist Simone Needles. Plus, watch the short film Awaker which tells the tale of an old man who is responsible for waking his neighbors up, as his town has no alarm clocks (Filip Diavik, 2017, 9 minutes Czechoslovakia).
Over the past few months, the Walker has been working with a range of community partners to provide the Twin Cities with the first art-focused, sensory friendly program in a museum. The galleries will be closed to all other visitors, allowing guests to enjoy the museum in a safe environment where accommodations such as quiet spaces, headphones, and fidgets can be provided.
While walk-ins are welcome, we encourage you to reserve your space ahead of time. Registration is available below.
To prepare for your visit, check out the Social Narrative. For more information, e-mail access@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7610. This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program