There is an actual job listing for an activity most of us with computer-oriented jobs are already getting paid to do—sitting at your desk watching cat videos. The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis has been hosting its annual Internet Cat Video Festival, “a celebration of online cat videos,” since 2012. And, Internetters rejoice, they are looking for a festival coordinator.
“We are seeking a dynamic, well organized and capable individual to coordinate and support production and logistics for this amazing event,” the Walker’s job listing reads. Though it is unfortunately a part-time, temporary position, you would have the honor of “managing festival content and submissions.” Other duties:
• Communicate and coordinate festival jurors.
• Manage and editing submission forms.
• Search for and identify content.
• Provide general support for the festival curator.
• Support the Cat Video Festival Curator in [s]ecuring clearance and rights for usage from clip creators.
But it’s not all glamour: The successful applicant will also have to “research and secure event amenities such as Port-a-Potties, bike racks and tents.”
Slate’s own Seth Stevenson covered the inaugural festival in 2012. Festival mastermind Katie Hill said the curation process is just like any other art exhibit:
Asked what sort of aesthetic principles guided her in this process, Hill replied, “It’s like any other curation. You examine how form and content interact. You look for what’s new and unique in the genre. If you watch enough shaky camera phone videos of cats, you start to see the distinctions.”
The festival has become a big draw for the Walker, which Stevenson calls “the MoMA of the Midwest.” (Do videos of big cats qualify for the contest? That is a question ripe for artistic debate.) Past years have featured Lil’ Bub, Maru, and Henri the Existential Cat, who won top prize in 2012. Perhaps this year they’ll feature a career retrospective for Colonel Meow (RIP).
The event is free to the public, and will take place on Aug. 14, so now’s a good time to start planning your Grumpy Cat cosplay.
