Walker Art Center will host Art Fest 2024 Thursday through Saturday to tie into its retrospective “Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody” exhibit.

The free festival draws inspiration from the original ArtFest in 1984, when Haring was in residence at the Minneapolis museum. During his stay, he designed a poster for ArtFest, a celebration of the new education center led by the Walker’s education director at the time, Adam Weinberg. Haring also worked with students from Alice Smith Elementary School in Hopkins to create set pieces for a dance/theater work by d’Amboise, performed as part of the festival.

Events include:

Keith Haring Art Fest 2024 Kick Off, 5-9 p.m. Thursday: Curated by Vogue Down MPLS, a collective that creates safe events for the BIPOC and queer community, the evening celebrates ballroom culture and voguing, both past and current. The performance art piece Unity in Motion pays tribute to the golden era of the 1980s ballroom scene, weaving together dance, art and the sense of community that defines the period. The Art Fest Ball includes a live drag performance emphasizing Haring’s graffiti-inspired work and his impact on Pop art.

Teen Takeover 2024, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday: The Walker is for teens only on this night of live performances, dancing, art and snacks curated by the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council and inspired by Haring. Teens, who must have an ID, are invited to bring an item of clothing to screenprint.

Free First Saturday: Keith Haring Art Fest 2024, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: For Haring, art wasn’t just for museums and galleries and this family day calls back to the art Haring created in New York City in the ’80s. It includes a dance performance and mini workshop with BRKFST Dance Company, a reading of “Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing” with author Kay Haring, music from DJ Michel.Be and art-making activities.

RELATED: Walker’s Keith Haring exhibit lives up to its title: ‘Art Is For Everybody’

“Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody” runs through Sept. 8. For more details, see walkerart.org.

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