The Other Walker Library
The Other Walker Library
Did you know that the Walker Art Center has a library and archive that is free and open to the public? This rich resource contains a comprehensive collection of books and periodicals, including artists’ monographs and catalogues from exhibitions held worldwide from the 1940s to the present, as well as files of small-format ephemera and clippings for over 5,000 contemporary artists. The amazing team of librarians, archivists, and dedicated volunteers who steward this treasure trove sat down to share their favorite items found in the Walker’s library.
Our series of Filmmakers Filming monographs. They’re a good selection of interviews with experimental filmmakers published in collaboration with Film in the Cities. This now-defunct local media arts organization put film cameras in the hands of emerging filmmakers and stewarded their work.
On top of that, the wide selection of film books that are usually only available in academic settings is now available for free to the public during the library’s open hours! And the collection only grows and includes more contemporary work and filmmakers.
Patricia
The artists’ files, a unique feature of the WAC library.
Margy
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It’s illustrated with 12 fantastical prints by Salvador Dalí – and is just one of many amazing artists’ books in the library.
Jennifer
The collection of Walker Calendars, dating back to the 1940s. Especially fun to browse the amazing variety of music performances from the late 1960s through the 1970s; the roster is incredible. Jazz, Folk, Rock, Experimental, and Country – luminaries from every genre. And tickets under $10 bucks!
Barb
The library space itself – The library occupies a former gallery. It is serene and the perfect place to read, research, or discover.
Michael
John Franklin White’s book Art in Action: American Art Centers and the New Deal, 1987. A great history of the Federal Art Project’s Community Art Center program, with a chapter devoted to the Walker Art Center, is noted as the ‘crowning achievement’ of the program.
Jill
As Cataloging Librarian, I get to look at books all day. My favorites are the design books.
John
Interested in exploring the library and collection for yourself? Learn more here.
Related articles
An Inside Perspective
Exhibitions: They Build the Impossible
Stewards of the Walker’s Collections
A Design Studio within a Museum
How Do You Care for an Artwork that Has No Physical Form? A Conversation on Media and Time-Based Works in the Walker’s Collections
Here to Help: The Walker’s Educators
Event Production: A Team that Makes it Possible
