Hasta La Ideas

Minneapolis’ pioneering Walker museum commandeers their lawn for a summer-long social experiment

An interactive project, Open Field invites the community of Minneapolis to use the Walker Art Center as a medium for their own expression. Inspired by the creative potential of online social networks, WAC turned their backyard into a physical environment for the collaborative exchange of ideas to occur.

The experiment gives anybody the opportunity to schedule an activity, which in the past have included everything from Qi-Gong classes to spontaneous play readings and live art constructions using locally-salvaged tree branches. Applicants need only to submit a short proposal to the Open Field calendar to lead their own event.

The Walker’s outdoor bar Open Lounge serves drinks, which on a hot day can inspire more spontaneous goings-on among people there just to hang out and relax.

“Our human ability to be creative, to produce new knowledge, to ask good questions, and to imagine innovative solutions is predicated in large part on our ability to transform what already exists. Open Field presents the perfect opportunity to experiment with a different, collective mode of programming that depends on you.”

Open Field launched 3 June 2010 and Twin Cities residents and visitors can enjoy it until the weather no longer permits it. One of the many programs at the Walker Art Center this summer, check out the calendar for more.