After Hours party at the Walker

Museums often seem like good party spaces, except for the restrictive daytime hours and pesky "no food or drink" rule. The Walker's After Hours party last weekend overcame all of the obstacles.

The events have been around in some form since 1997. They now occur once a quarter to celebrate exhibition openings; new members get a free ticket.

At last weekend's party, 1,200 attendees wrestled with the challenging "Abstract Resistance" exhibit, made even more difficult to comprehend by the lack of labels. Partygoers also removed their shoes to sit in hammocks in "Immersive Environments," by Helio Oiticica and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

The most popular spots, especially as the night wore on, were the social areas where visitors lounged, snacked, drank, listened to music, had photos taken in the photo booth, hung out and checked one another out.

"It's just fun to see all of the people," said Benjamin Fredrickson, who has been to Walker parties a few times (and who was looking at the art in the "Benches and Binoculars" exhibit). "It's like going to the State Fair, but it's at the Walker."

"And it smells better," added his friend Drea Couture. Touché.

Sara Glassman • 612-673-7177