Sensory Friendly Sunday
Event Details
Tickets & Info
Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly event designed for kids, teens, and adults with sensory-processing differences, autism, or developmental disabilities. The galleries will be closed to the general public, allowing visitors to enjoy the museum in a calm environment with accommodations such as quiet spaces, fidgets, and sunglasses available. Experience a selection of current exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In August, explore the exhibitions Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night, This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection, and Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love.
Through September (weather permitting), play a free round of Skyline Mini Golf on the Walker’s rooftop between 8 and 11 am. The one-of-a-kind course features artist-designed holes and a great view of the Minneapolis skyline.
To support the health and safety of visitors at increased risk for COVID-19, masks are required at Sensory Friendly Sunday for visitors over age 2. Accommodations are available if someone in your party is unable to tolerate masking. Please email access@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7561 for more information.
This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program.
Self-Portrait Art with Trista Marie McGovern
Come join us to create a Polaroid Portrait project with Trista Marie McGovern. In this activity, participants will have fun taking polaroids and using them to extend self expression beyond its borders.
What Is Love? Sensory Painting
Artist Suzanne Jackson plays with color and light. She paints in layers to make larger-than-life artworks that hang from the ceiling. In this activity, we’ll experiment with acrylic paint in sealed bags, creating our own works influenced by Jackson’s art.
Skyline Mini Golf
Take the elevator to level 7 to play a free round of mini golf on the Walker’s rooftop (weather permitting).
Ellen L. Breyer Library, 8 am–11 am
The Walker’s library is open! Explore the stacks and find inspiration in the library’s collection of artful books. The library entrance is through the Art Lab.
Short Film: The Light Is Big (2026) by M. Duffner
This short film, based on the book of the same name, is full of entire sentences that someone said for the first time. These are our first sentences, precious and unrepeatable. What do they say about us? What do they say about the world? This film is 5 minutes and will play on loop.
To access Gallery 5, take the accessible lift down one level from floor 6. To access Gallery 2, take the accessible lift down one level from floor 3.
Videos on view within the exhibition Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night contain flickering effects and sounds that change in volume, pitch, and tone.
The short film will be captioned in English.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
Trista Marie McGovern is a queer, disabled photographer, writer, model, and interdisciplinary artist dedicated to exploring human connections and personal identity. She is driven by environmental, racial, disability, and transformative justice. Through her work, she endeavors to dismantle barriers and celebrate individuals’ unique stories.
This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Family Programs are supported by the KHR McNeely Family Foundation, thanks to Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely.
Lead support for the Walker’s Learning and Public Programs is provided by the Pohlad Family Community Engagement Fund. Additional support is provided by the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation and Susan and Rob White.
