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Exhibitions: They Build the Impossible

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A group of adults in work clothes stand, some seated, smiling, facing the viewer in a large workshop space.

Nothing is Move an elephant? Frame 200 drawings? Construct an indoor orchard? Nothing is impossible for the incredible exhibitions team at the Walker. This group of craftspeople, technicians, and problem solvers creates the Walker’s innovative exhibitions with great care, talent for details, and feats of engineering. Taking time out from their busy schedules, the exhibitions department at the Walker shares a few stories of their favorite projects and exhibitions.

An adult with light skin and long blonde hair with bangs, wearing a brown t-shirt and arm tattoos, stands smiling at the viewer in a workshop space.
Sara Suppan, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin and dark facial hair, brown flannel shirt and a hat smiles at the viewer.
Alex Kermes, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin, brown curly short hair, a grey denim shirt stands facing the viewer in a workshop space.
Jeffrey Sherman, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin, a blue long sleave shirt wears dark glasses and looks at the viewer in a workshop space.
Joel Schwarz, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

“One of my most memorable projects was working on the Allen Ruppersberg artwork Where’s Al?.  It consists of index cards and Polaroids of him and his friends as they spend a day at the beach. You get to follow along and solve the puzzle of wondering, “Where’s  Al?”

Joel Schwarz, Preparator & Exhibition Framing Specialist

An adult with light skin, brown short hair and a stripped shirt stands facing the viewer in a workshop space.
Peter Murphy, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin, short hair and a beard stands facing the viewer in a workshop.
Jonathon Karen, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

“For the Pacita Abad installation, we needed to devise a way to hang the very large tapestry of Marcos and His Cronies. I was tasked with designing a system, in collaboration with the lenders, to display the piece above the staircase in the Cargill lobby. The installation represents many months of planning and design iterations that I’m very proud to say I led. 

An equally significant undertaking was the installation of Kahlil Robert Irving’s exhibition Archaeology of the Present. Aside from the monumental task of fabricating and installing Kahlil’s exhibition, I really enjoyed working with Kahlil to realize his vision for the gallery. It was a very collaborative process to develop all the details for the piece, and working directly with artists is something I enjoy most about my position at Walker.”

Jonathon Karen, Lead Preparator for Exhibitions

An adult with short brown hair and grey facial hair, wears dark framed glasses a flannel shirt and stand smiling at the viewer with hands in their pocket.
Doc Czypinski, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin and a beard and glasses, sits looking at the viewer.
Peter Hannah, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

“My most memorable project was working with an artist to create a sculpture that featured large pieces of a demolished gallery wall.  First, we carefully destroyed the selected wall, then piled the sheetrock and studs in the corner, where they became part of the artwork.  After the exhibition closed, we had to save the debris for months while it was decided whether or not we needed to crate and ship the rubble to their LA gallery!”

Peter Hannah, Lead Preparator for Exhibitions & Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

An adult with light skin, black glasses and short blonde hair in a red flannel stands smiling at the viewer in a workshop space.
Kirk McCall, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
An adult with light skin, black shirt, and long blonde curly hair pulled back faces the viewer, out of focus workshop in the background.
Nastja Nykaza, 2024. Photo by Kam Herndon. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

Experience this team’s work first hand in the exhibitions currently on view.
What to see more? Explore past Walker exhibitions here.

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