Sensory Friendly Sunday
Event Details
Tickets & Info
Experience a selection of current exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. From 8 to 11 am, the galleries will be closed to the public, allowing people of all ages with sensory-processing differences, autism, or developmental disabilities to enjoy the museum at their own pace; quiet spaces, fidgets, sunglasses, and other accommodations are also available. All friends and family members are welcome.
This month’s activities:
- Experience current exhibitions, including Walker Design Triennial: Beyond Materialism, This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection, and Abbas Akhavan: Variations on a Garden.
- Enjoy art activities designed by a guest teaching artist.
- Watch a short, family-friendly film in the Bentson Mediatheque.
While walk-ins are welcome, we encourage you to reserve your space ahead of time. Sensory Friendly Sunday is typically less busy from 8 to 9:30 am and busier from 9:30 to 11 am.
To support everyone’s health and safety, masks are required for all visitors over two years old. Accommodations are available for those who are unable to tolerate masking. For more information, please email access@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7561.
This program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program.
To prepare for your visit, check out this Social Narrative.
The short film will be open captioned in English.
If you have questions about accessibility at the Walker or would like to request an accommodation, please contact Visitor Services at access@walkerart.org or 612-375-7564 at least two weeks before the event.
For this event, the Walker has made gallery adjustments to ensure that sound doesn’t travel into adjacent spaces, and some light levels have been altered to create a more sensory friendly environment.
Sensory Maps will be available at the Main Lobby desk with noted sensory stimuli for event spaces and galleries. Sunglasses, ear plugs, and fidgets will be available in the lobby at the accommodations table behind the front desk. These are yours to keep. Over-the-ear sound reduction headphones are available to borrow.
A pre-visit email will be sent with detailed information about the program’s activities as well as a Sensory Map to those who register by noon on the Friday before each Sensory Friendly Sunday.
Part of: Sensory Friendly Events
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.
