This Must Be the Place: Inside the Walker’s Collection

Grounded in the many meanings and ideas of “home,” This Must Be the Place is a major new exhibition showcasing works drawn from across the Walker’s dynamic collection. The presentation ranges from iconic pieces to works shown here for the first time, offering a place to experience different stories and perspectives, both broad and complex. The exhibition unfolds over three galleries, with spotlight sections that give emphasis to core ideas of community, the urban environment, and the natural landscape.​​

The section titled Kith and Kin explores representations of friends, family, and community and highlights recent acquisitions by Njedika Akunyili Crosby and Jennifer Packer, among others. The City centers on the urban environment and public spaces, whereas the Land will look at the natural landscape and forms of settlement. Across the galleries are visitor favorites, including paintings such as Franz Marc’s The Large Blue Horses (1911) and Edward Hopper’s Office at Night (1940). The reinstallation incorporates visitor feedback gathered from the prior exhibition Make Sense of This (2023), with special considerations to how works are presented and described to encourage understanding and engagement. Together, these works establish the collection as an evolving, living resource for communities and a home for hundreds of intersecting stories and voices.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website