Open field is an annual summer gathering in the green yard of the Walker Art Center. Started out in 2010, this years' Open field marks the third edition of the festival. A diverse range of activities are held throughout the months June to September. In 2011, more than 100 individuals and groups contributed to this summer long festival of community-sourced activities. Visitors are encouraged to propose and organize their own activities ranging from from poetry readings, art-making, music, and yoga on the lawn to skill-share lessons with a twist.
The open space is designed in the spirit of the so-called “gift economy” and gatherings are held with the aim of relaxation, imagination, relaxation and last but not least exploration.
Open field mainly explores what could happen when people get together to share and exchange skills and interests, to create something new, or delve into the unknown. The idea of the cultural commons is intrinsic to any form of community building. Open field actively applies the ethos of the commons through which it expands the public provision of goods and services. For this reason, the festival, referred to as a gathering, is serving as a good example of a project that stimulates the growth of new commons and creative interpersonal relationships.
One of the activities at Open field involves Art Swap.
Art Swap invites participants to swap a work of their creation for a work from their collection of original creations. The participants' piece then becomes part of their collection, available to others through swapping.