Walker Art Center's Free Thursday Nights Program Strengthens Indigenous Community Ties

The Walker Art Center's Free Thursday Nights program, a weekly initiative offering free admission and extended gallery hours, shifts its focus seasonally. During colder months, indoor activities like artist talks and dance parties replace summer offerings such as rooftop poetry readings and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden tours. This winter, the program deepens its collaboration with All My Relations Arts, a local Indigenous arts hub, through programming connected to the exhibition 'Dyani White Hawk: Love Language.' These efforts aim to welcome and engage Native communities while celebrating White Hawk's career and artistic partners. Principal Foundation, with Director Jo Christine Miles who recently joined the Walker's Board of Trustees, provides sustained sponsorship for Free Thursday Nights. Miles stated that arts organizations offer critical opportunities for communities to envision better futures, and the foundation is proud to support the Walker's accessibility efforts for Twin Cities residents. The program represents a key strategy for the Walker to attract new visitors and build community relationships.