We rode Amtrak from Wisconsin to St. Paul/Minneapolis with plans to visit museums. We walked to the Walker Art Center, planning on spending most of the day looking at exhibits. Upon arriving, we were told that 4 of the galleries were closed. No discounts were offered even though the 4 galleries were closed. The exhibits we did see were very sparsely spread around large areas of each gallery. A rather disappointing visit.

Everyone likes different art, but I was surprised at just how little of the art on display I enjoyed here. Only one of the galleries had anything I really enjoyed. The rest was underwhelming.

If you’re looking for the stereotypical contemporary art museum experience — obscene admissions prices, sparse walls of un-curated art, under-informed and over-tattooed staff, and “exhibitions” more akin to failed practical jokes (the word of the month for exhibition descriptions appeared to be “liveness”) — this is your spot in the Twin Cities. The sculpture garden is the place to go for views and (if it’s your thing) photo ops, but the indoor spaces are only for the uber-rich, pretentious, dare-you-to-notice-our-hypocrisy set. If anyone at the museum cares: folks, if this art is so deeply important, can’t you at least pretend to offer some background and interpretation in the galleries? Or is there really nothing to say, in which case, why?

The indoor museum is quite nice, and the Keith Haring exhibit was quite interesting, but I think the outdoor sculpture garden is the highlight, especially the 'Spoon and Cherry'.

What a great visit! Dined at Cardamom, quite good, outside is best. Then toured the immense sculpture area… quite fascinating. The brochure provided was essentially useless and the self-guided app was needed to appreciate. I vote for a better brochure with explanations and a guided route to take. The current brochure isn’t well done and using the app deteriorates the experience outdoors.