Major multi-arts campus in the Midwest
The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis has grown over a century from a small, private museum to the huge public building that it is today. With its cinema, theater, studio and sculpture garden, the center is home to important fine art holdings, but also presents performing arts, architecture, design, film and video. While the institution’s collection includes works dating as far back as the 1880s, its main focus is international art made since the 1960s. The Walker holds almost 12,000 artworks by more than 2,300 artists including Nam June Paik, Jasper Johns, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. An 11-acre sculpture park features more than 60 public works, including a signature “Skyspace”, or sky-viewing chamber, by artist James Turrell, and the sculpture “Spoonbridge and Cherry” (1985-88) by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, which has become a beloved symbol of Minneapolis. A significant rehang of the permanent collection in 2024 drew on crowdsourced visitor feedback, and an innovative design store opened in 2023 that blurs the boundaries between retail and curatorial space.
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