I worked at the Walker Art Center for two years. I have personal affection for the museum, besides the admiration for its relevant cultural value. I'm sharing a blog comment from "Tall Paul" that shows a peek on the Walker "culture": Love it or not, the aluminum-clad Walker expansion is fertile ground for creative description. It's been likened to Miss Pac-Man, an “angry robot head,” and a Transformer of toy and cartoon fame. It's been panned as a “bruised ice cube” (by the Guthrie Theater actor who played Ebenezer Scrooge) and praised as “a rough-cut gem” (Icon, UK) and “as light and luscious as crumpled silk” (Newsweek). Last summer, I asked people passing by how they’d describe the unusual facade; since it never ended up in the magazine, I’ll run some of the replies here. Feel free to add your own in comments.
“It looks like that ship from Star Wars, where they found R2-D2 and C3PO.”
--Bob Bodin, houseman, 20.21 Restaurant and Bar by Wolfgang Puck
“It's like aluminum foil, flat, but crumpled a little. Like something you'd find in your grandma's freezer.”
--Erica Qualy, former member of the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council
“It looks like a monkey.”
--Max Molina
“It looks like a giant square with a little edge that's kind of crooked.”
--Madi Molina
“I think it looks like a really mad polar bear.”
--Gus Molina
“It looks like a space port, just like the one I saw on Mars that one time.”
--Paul Molina
“It's like a floating ice cube. The windows were inspired by snowflake cutouts, so the architects must have had this winter thing in their minds. It's like January in Minnesota.”
--Nancy Beach, Walker tour guide
“The new Walker looks like a glacier.”
--Brett Smith, Visitors Services Specialist, Film/Video
“It reminds me of Frank Gehry's outdoor amphitheater at Millennium Park in Chicago.”
--Chris Bettis
“It's like a giant robot head. And the rest of the robot is submerged underground, so when the Walker gets enough funding, the whole thing's going to rise up and attack the city. The buildings are going to battle like in those Japanese movies.”
--Alison Bromander
“It looks like a metallic grasshopper.”
--Liz Sexton, Visitors Services Specialist, PR/Marketing
“Have you ever heard of the band godheadSilo?”
--Chad Weber, gallery monitor
