‘Rock the Garden’ to come to an end, organizers say

After its installment in June, Rock the Garden is coming to an end, according to the Walker Art Center.

The summer music festival is put on by Walker Art Center and MPR’s The Current, the Walker said.

“Rock the Garden has always been focused on bringing people together through music,” Walker Executive Director Mary Ceruti and MPR President Duchesne Drew said in a joint statement. “We are grateful to go out on a high note as a team. This is now a fresh opportunity to conjure up new ways to serve ambitions that drive each institution in new ways.”

The summer music festival first debuted in 1998 under the direction of Walker Art Center, a news release stated. In 2008, Walker Art Center said that it partnered with MPR’s The Current to relaunch the festival, which had been on hiatus since 2004.

The end of Rock the Garden will not mean the end of the two organizations’ partnership, representatives noted.

“The 13 festivals we co-produced together held so many memorable moments, and brought joy and inspiration to many,” Philip Bither, McGuire director and senior curator of performing arts at the Walker, said. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with MPR and The Current in new ways and new projects in the future.”

David Safar, managing director of The Current, said, meanwhile, “Over the years, Rock the Garden empowered connections across the community, and now MPR and the Walker will dream up new events that enable those connections.”