Internet Cat Video Festival Presented by Walker Art Center Set for Aug. 28 at Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

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Internet Cat Video Festival #catvidfest

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (02/14/2013)(readMedia)-- The Walker Art Center presents its second Internet Cat Video Festival at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Last year the Festival (#catvidfest), the first of its kind in the world, drew a crowd of over 10,000 to the Walker Art Center. What began as a social experiment testing the boundaries of online communities and crowd-sourced content resulted in attention from local, national and international audiences and media, and spawned "copy-cat" festivals around the country. For its second edition, the Festival is moving to the Great Minnesota Get-Together and bringing along the same spirit of community and collaboration.

TICKETS

Price: $10 (all reserved seating) Note: Admission to the State Fairgrounds must be purchased in addition to the Internet Cat Video Festival ticket.

On-Sale Date/Time: 10 a.m. on Saturday, March, 9

Where to get tickets:

• Online at mnstatefair.org

• By phone at (800) 514-3849

• In person at the State Fairgrounds Box Office during a special limited time opening from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. (Regular box office hours will begin in early June.)

WALKER ART CENTER INTERNET CAT VIDEO FESTIVAL NOMINATIONS

The Walker once again invites your nominations to help curate the Festival. Check your browser bookmarks, ask your friends or spend some quality "research" time, and send in your favorite internet cat clips. New this year, nominations are being accepted into various "cat"-egories including Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Foreign, Musical and Lifetime Achievement. Show us new talent or nominate an old favorite and help shape this year's lineup. For full details and access to the nomination form visit walkerart.org/catvidfest and submit your picks. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2013.

WALKER ART CENTER INTERNET CAT VIDEO FESTIVAL AWARDS

Which video will walk away with the #catvidfest hardware? Last year, Will Braden's now iconic Henri Le Chat Noir #2 took home the coveted Golden Kitty Award as the People's Choice Best of Festival. This year, the Golden Kitty returns, along with new awards for each of the categories. The Golden Kitty will be decided via online vote this summer.

Henri Returns

Will Braden (Henri) will return to the festival to present the Golden Kitty to this year's winner and debut a new Henri video exclusively for the Internet Cat Video Festival. Braden will speak at the Walker Art Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29 about his experience as an internet cat video producer and the journey since the first Festival. A reception and book signing will be held following the program in the Walker Garden Café.

Tickets to Will Braden's Walker talk are free and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Walker box office beginning at 6 p.m.

NEW THIS YEAR: MN CAT-ON-A-STICK CATEGORY

This year's festival features a new category just for Minnesota cats. In the spirit of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, nominate your favorite local feline talent for a chance to be featured in the Festival. Nominations must be publicly available on YouTube or Vimeo to be eligible. Visit walkerart.org/catvidfest and submit your picks into the Cat-On-A-Stick category. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2013.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

It's not just about internet cat videos, it's about watching internet cat videos together.

The Internet Cat Video Festival tests the boundaries of online communities and crowd-sourced public content to create a fun, playful event for all ages. Last year's festival was preceded by a lineup of related artist projects, music and local animal resource non-profit booths. This spirit will carry over to the State Fair with more live music, special guests and community groups. Look for more announcements closer to summer. Also, because it's the Minnesota State Fair, the festival will conclude with fireworks.

WALKER ART CENTER INTERNET CAT VIDEO FESTIVAL PUBLIC INFORMATION

walkerart.org/catvidfest

@catvidfest

#catvidfest

ABOUT THE WALKER ART CENTER

One of the most celebrated art museums in the country, the Walker Art Center is known for presenting today's most compelling artists, as well as modern masters, including Andy Warhol, Matthew Barney, Jasper Johns, Yoko Ono, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, and Kara Walker. In addition to traveling exhibitions and its world-renowned collection, the Walker presents a broad array of contemporary music, dance, and theater, and the best in film from around the world and down the block. The Walker's 11-acre Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is one of the country's largest urban sculpture parks. At its center is the beloved Twin Cities landmark-the playful fountain-sculpture Spoonbridge and Cherry. The Garden features more than 40 works of art and the Cowles Conservatory.

ABOUT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world, attracting nearly 1.8 million visitors annually. Showcasing Minnesota's finest agriculture, art and industry, the Great Minnesota Get-Together is always 12 Days of Fun Ending Labor Day. Visit mnstatefair.org for more information. The 2013 Minnesota State Fair runs Aug. 22–Labor Day, Sept. 2.