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Walker Teens

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The Play Side of Things

Walker Teens

Teen Programs support interactions with and connections to contemporary art and artists of our time. We seek to provide and co-create platforms and resources with young people to safely ask complex questions, voice ideas and opinions, and explore critical and creative potential.

Sponsored By

Wells Fargo/Best Buy

Walker Teen Programs are also supported by the Surdna Foundation and a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Jul
6

Punk rock and plywood spoilers.

By Pht

The Depot
On Saturday Witt and I load up the tent in the back of the trusty Buick Century for the drive over to the The Depot in Hopkins (our only non-city venue and close to where I grew up in Plymouth). We finally figure out how to arrange the two parts of the platform so that we can tie them down securely to the roof! The drawback is that there is no longer a plywood spoiler up top. Witt has told me that I do not have to be there for the entire band showcase, which I feel guilty about and decide to stay for the first band, Nice Purse who of course, rock. The Depot is a youth run coffee shop and performance venue, something that I wish I had access to when I was growing up (teens these days, they get everything). The tent is cozily located in the coffee shop due to the expected second night of monsoon rains. I hang out for a while and make a movie inside the tent, its all dark.

Inside the tent (with flash)

Eclipse Records
Sunday evening the Open Exposure Showcase Series moves to Eclipse Records in St Paul. I have been told I had the night off (as Maria keeps telling me) but I wanted to come by just to see the tent set up and also because I have never been to Eclipse. The Listening Tent is in the back of the Walker mini-van so I just show up around 6 and watch The Burn Aways. I am kind of freaked out when at one moment the bassist spits on the drummer who returns the favor. Robert tells me this is something punk rock bands do, which I don’t remember from my youth but then I can’t remember anything these days. But I did see punk rock bands back in the day, you teens!

Occupied tent

The tent is in the same room as the stage, which is a cool opportunity to listen to the band from the tent. I don’t get a chance as Maria is hanging out (napping?) in there for a while.

We have one event left now, Open Exposure on July 11, make sure you experience the The Listening Tent.

Mar
20

The Anechoic Chamber: Visit to Orfield Labs

By Will Freeman

Inside the chamber: Nakami, Adriana, Robert, Kaitlyn Between brainstorming ideas for a summer event, working on Girls in the Director’s Chair,  and developing a collaborative project with local artist Peter Haakon Thompson, March has been a pretty busy month for all of us on WACTAC.  As much as we all love our usual meeting place the teen programs office at the walker can get a bit claustrophobic, so it was refreshing when we met up with Peter at Orfield Labs; a sound research center in South Minneapolis.  I showed up a bit before everyone else and spent a good ten minutes looking for [...]

Continued