Arts venues try to make visits easier for people troubled by bright lights, noise

Fatima Molis' 5-year-old son Noah loves details. She says he'd be fascinated by a contemporary museum like the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

"He would show me something that's in a book, a butterfly, something tiny I would overlook," Molis said.

But Molis has never taken Noah to the Walker, because Noah has autism. Molis said the museum's crowds, noise and lights would be a problem.

"He might have meltdowns," she said. "He might just take off and run because of the space and people walking around. He might bolt."

In fact, busy museums can be a nightmare for people on the autism spectrum and others who have difficulty with sensory experiences. This weekend, those visitors will get a new opportunity with the launch of "sensory-friendly Sundays" at the Walker.

From 8 to 11 a.m., the Walker's big white sliding door will sit halfway open across the museum lobby. Visitors can grab maps at the front desk showing areas of the museum with bright lights and sounds that are either particularly loud or particularly quiet.

Digital signs in the lobby will be turned off, and lights will be lowered. Designated quiet spaces offer a break if needed.

The art isn't changing, though. The Walker is currently exhibiting an artist named Allen Ruppersberg, whose work could be difficult for some visitors. It includes a lot of bright colors. Some pieces, like a cardboard box just sitting on the floor, don't necessarily look like art. They could be hard for viewers who tend to take things very literally, which many autistic people do.

"It's really important to give people the real gallery experience and not edit anything out," said Julia Anderson, the Walker's family and access programs coordinator. "It's our job to warn people. Or have volunteers in place who are next to the cardboard box who are like, 'This is art! Isn't that fun and weird?'"

The Walker is just the latest in a lineup of venues to increase accessibility with so-called "sensory-friendly" offerings. Stages Theatre, the Children's Theatre, the Ordway, the Schubert Club and several museums and movie theaters offer dedicated hours and performances when volume and lights are adjusted and extra preparatory materials are available.

This July, the Minnesota Orchestra plans to launch its first full-orchestra sensory-friendly concert. Just like at the Walker, the content for the performance won't change, but patrons can visit a quiet room if they need a break. There will be noise-canceling headphones, earplugs and a playlist people can preview ahead of time.

Staff are being trained, too, because part of the point is to welcome audiences who may not follow usual concert decorum.

"It's OK to respond to the music in any way at any time. It's OK to vocalize, to get up, to move around, to dance, to do whatever the music moves you to do," community engagement manager Jessica Ryan said.

Parent Fatima Molis served on an advisory group for the Walker effort and said she's already spread the word about sensory-friendly Sundays to her friends and neighbors.

Now Molis, who is Somali, has a new project: adding one more venue to the list of accessible art. Molis said her son, and all Somali children on the autism spectrum, should have a chance to learn about their art and culture.

"My goal is to figure out something that's sensory-friendly for the Somali families of children with autism, that's more culturally appropriate, the language, the art, something that's familiar to them," she said.

Other offerings

Many venues post "social narratives" patrons can use to prepare for a visit. These guides describe a social situation, including behavior expectations and how others might act.

• Minnesota Orchestra: Sensory-friendly concert in Orchestra Hall on July 14, 2018, at 2 p.m.

• Minneapolis Institute of Art: Posts social narratives and a list of "sensory-friendly" museum spaces

• Stages Theatre Company: Offering sensory-friendly performances since 2012

• Children's Theatre Company: Designated performances

• Ordway: Designated performances

• Bell Museum: Monthly sensory-friendly Saturdays are set to resume after the museum's new location opens this summer

• Minnesota History Center: Posts a social narrative and provides a quiet space and sensory toys and books

• Schubert Club: Designated concerts

• Marcus Theatres: Designated showtimes

• AMC Theatres: Designated showtimes

• Como Park Zoo and Conservatory: Sensory-friendly mornings 9-10 a.m. on select Sundays and Wednesdays