Church of the Friendly Ghost aka COTFG is a volunteer-run arts organization supporting creative expression and counter-culture community. COTFG activities may include experiments in sound composition, custom made electronics, improvisation, cross-genre collaborations, site-specific performances, and future-minded creative music.
Conception
Church of the Friendly Ghost, currently known as COTFG was originally established in the fall of 2003 when a group of friends began hosting performances and other artistic activities in a small former church building at 209 Pedernales Street in Austin, Texas. Over the years, the organization has presented over one thousand events. In 2007, COTFG became a sponsored project of , a tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Also in 2007, the organization re-located to a performance space on Manor Rd. In June of 2016, COTFG held their final performance in the Salvage Vanguard Theater building and has since then continued to create numerous site-specific performances around the city of Austin.
In 2009, COTFG created a festival, originally called the Modern Aural SculptureSymposium South, to provide opportunities to explore music through workshops, lectures on compositional techniques, improvisation demonstrations, interviews with musicians, art installations, experimental musics, and performances of local artists at both the festival location and throughout the city of Austin. In 2010, COTFG expanded the festival into a three-day event and renamed it the New Media Art and Sound Summit, or the "NMASS Fest." The yearly festival emphasizes collaboration and creation with the intention of attracting attention to Austin's creative community. NMASS Fest and the COTFG series of performances are made possible by community patrons, and through their partnership with Salvage Vanguard Theater COTFG is also funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.
Recognition
City of Austin Cultural Arts Division Cultural Contact
