We’ve been meaning to do a longer piece on the serious number of talented people leaving the Walker Art Center, including the recent departures of curator and education director Sarah Schultz, chief curator Darsie Alexander, and big deal design director and curator Andrew Blauvelt, among many others. Then last week someone shared with us the recent piece from the STrib’s visual art reporter Mary Abbe that gets quotes from Walker director Olga Viso and new creative director Fionn Meade saying all’s well, nothing to see here, so we figured we’d get in on the conversation and share what we’ve been hearing.

From what insiders tell us, the top down message of “Everything’s fine” is far from the reality. The departures have driven morale even lower, and the trend had already been on a decline since the hiring of management consultant and former Ordway CEO David Galligan as deputy director. Yes, some of those talented folks have left for better gigs, which does happen. But the Walker has lost (either let go or had leave) a design director and curator, a chief curator, an education director, the marketing director, the digital projects director, a senior curator and most of its education department.

We’ve heard from staffers—who have, btw, been instructed not to talk to the press, which is never a good sign—that in addition to a corporatized atmosphere, there’s a lot of worry around the Walker’s community standing. The Walker’s brand is now heavily identified with the Cat Vid Fest and Rock the Garden, not to mention high-end cocktail parties and corporate sponsorships. Meanwhile, the Walker is slipping as both a local and national leader for new and bold art and the trendsetter for hip events. Even though the Walker still has some really good programming, the MIA has taken over as the big spot for accessible art events, the Soap Factory is the place to go in town to see new modern art, and several small galleries (Burnet, Gamut, Instinct, others) have had way better recent shows.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re rooting for the Walker. We’re excited about the Sculpture Garden refresh. We’re excited about the upcoming solo show by German artist Andrea Büttner. We’re excited for the collaboration on the Liquid Music series. We’re strangely excited for Blauvelt’s Hippie Modernism show. And hopefully Philip Bither never leaves! But the Walker makes up a key component of the MPLS + STPL art scene, which is a key component of the overall MPLS + STPL scene. If the Walker loses its stature due to mismanagement, much of our arts and culture scene also feels the effects.