Minnesota art center holds ‘demon summoning session’ for families

Walker Art Center is guided "by the belief that art has the power to bring joy and solace and the ability to unite people through dialogue and shared experiences." Kids get in free to the center between the ages of zero and 18.

An event description of the demon-themed activity said that the performance of Lilit the Empathic Demon was a "collective and playful demon summoning session" that will end with "a somatic movement meditation, designed to help you befriend your shadows."

Prior to the performance, another demon-themed activity gave instructions on "how to trap a demon." The description adds that demons will often "have a bad reputation.” One reason demons have a bad reputation is that "we’re just not very good at getting to know them,” according to the description.

The activities were part of the Walker "Plant Teachers" day. This also included a performance from Catharus, which is music that "explores relationships to land, other-than-human beings, memory, and identity."

Featured artist, Tamar Ettun, has previously made an exhibit called How to Trap a Demon. One piece of the exhibit from Ettun instructs the observer to text "summon" to a phone number that is written on the wall that will communicate with Lilit.

Ettun's exhibit description says that it revives the ancient traditions from "Sumerian, Akkadian, and Judaic mythology" that showed the demon, Lilit, appearing on "incantation bowls, a healing technology used to protect against demons."

The exhibit also "parts with the historical gender binarism" and "builds on "the artist’s research into the insidious side of empathy, empathy fatigue, trauma-healing modalities, and astrology as storytelling."

An article posted to Walker's website also explains how Ettun came in contact with Lilit "when she was at a residency, spending her days and nights in a haunted firehouse-turned-museum making knots and having just found out she was pregnant.”

The Walker Art Center is supported by millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.