Sensory Friendly Sunday: May 2026
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. Accommodations such as quiet spaces, fidgets, and sunglasses will be readily available. Experience a selection of current exhibitions, make art, or watch a short film. All friends and family members are welcome.
In May, explore the exhibitions Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg: Glacial Decoy, This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection, and Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night.
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.
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.
Gelli Plate Printmaking with Cynthia Weitzel, 8–11 am
Gelli plate printmaking is fun, easy, and fast! Join teaching artist Cynthia Weitzel as she teaches how to use this method of art-making. It’s all about creative fun with color, shapes, and texture. Visitors to this art project will use nontraditional tools (egg beaters, etc.) with paint.
Pop-up Photo Exhibit: Many Ways of Being: Hmong Disability Stories in Photos, 8–11 am
Explore this traveling photo art exhibit by United Hmong with Disabilities (UHD). The exhibit celebrates the lived experiences of Hmong people with disabilities, highlighting both their personal stories and cultural heritage. Through this project, UHD uplifts the voices of disabled Hmong community members while fostering a deeper understanding of disability, culture, and identity.
Library, 8–11 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 Tale of the Hanging Bat by Dan Yang, 8–11 am
Stop by the Bentson Mediatheque to watch a family-friendly short film. Based on a Hmong creation story, The Tale of the Hanging Bat shows why one should be diligent in life. This film is 5 minutes and will play on loop.
Sensory notes:
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 exhibition This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection includes two video rooms with reduced light levels. Some videos include flashing, flickering, or disorienting visual effects and sound that changes in volume, pitch, and tone.
To access Galleries 2 and 5, please ask a Gallery Assistant in Gallery 3 and 6 for help using the accessible lift.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
For questions about accessibility or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
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 Education and Public Programs is provided by the Pohlad Family Community Engagement Fund.