Open Field at the Walker Art Center is a summer gathering place that brings the Minneapolis community together for relaxation and imagination, recreation, and exploration. From June to September, Open Field transforms the Center’s big, green yard into a cultural commons. Individuals and groups contribute to a summer-long festival of community-sourced activities. Offerings have included everything from poetry readings, art-making, music, and yoga on the lawn to unusual skill-share lessons. Throughout the season, Open Field invites artists-in-residence to create and host activities involving hundreds of people of all ages. The legendary 2012 Internet Cat Video Festival was an exhilarating stretch of the Open Field imagination.

Photos courtesy Scott Stulen, Open Field curator