doodledee

Yesterday marked the official public opening of the new and improved Walker Art Center. (That's the local 'modern' art museum for you non-locals.) For as long as I can remember, the Walker has been housed in a large, intimidating brick box adjacent to the sculpture garden, across Hennepin Avenue from Loring Park. A few years back, the Walker acquired an neighboring office building and ripped it down, paving the way for a big ass new addition, which has been under construction ever since.

Well it's finally done. And it looks like a giant cube wrapped in aluminum foil. And I guess that's supposed to be cool. Personally, I think it's pretty dumb. For one, we already have a shiny metal museum over on the campus of the U, so New Metal Cube is in no way 'new', much less 'visionary'. I'd go as far as saying it's derivative, but that makes it seem like I actually thought about it for a while, which I did not. Plus, who knows - maybe the architect genius dude who designed New Metal Cube didn't know that some other architect genius dude was already taking inspiration from a beer can he smashed on his head.

I also think it's dumb because it cost $70 million to build. That's a lot of ching for 10,000 square feet of new gallery space. Is that even a lot of space? It doesn't seem like it. Aren't Huna-esque McMansions running like 4000 sq feet these days? If the Walker only needed 10,000 more square feet, why not save $68.5 million and go buy a couple of houses in Eden Prairie and cram 'em full of art? It'd be perfect: after visiting, patrons could stop off at Panera and get a bagel and talk about how they "didn't get it". Seriously, this is a great idea. I should apply for money to build a fake suburban neighborhood and call it the 'neopop' movement. I'd could build a fence out of Dyson vacuum cleaners and crap like that. I'd just say my work is a comment on our consumption obsessed society and/or every Target commercial from the last 4 years. The money would pour in.

But I digress.

To be clear, I'm not saying the Walker in and of itself is dumb, just that I don't like their new building. After all, the Walker did build the sculpture garden, and that's pretty mint. And they sponsor music and stuff, which is also pretty mint, especially when it's outside and it's sunny and it's Wilco. (That reminds me, what's with all this new 'community gathering place' marketing for the new space? Isn't that what people were promising about Block E, too? Gross.) And also of note is the fact that the Walker raised all the expansion money privately. You can do that?

Also, to be clear again, no, I don't really like the art. With the exception of the fun stuff like the Worhal tomato cans and whatnot, the rest of it is just lost on me. I remember visiting as a kid with my parents. I'd look at some huge canvas which was painted solid blue or something and I'd say "I could have done that" to which my dad would reply "yeah, but you didn't". Which was a good point, but I don't think he liked it any more than I did, so it kind of cheapened his witty reply.

I'm sure we'll get down to the New Cube eventually. And when we do I'm sure there will be a full rebuttal of all critiques expressed herein. Until then, it remains totes stupes.

Walker Art Center [walkerart]
The new Walker/An ice cube with attitude [strib]
the garden was rocked [doodledee]