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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, DIY electronics, improvisation, cross-genre collaborations, site-specific performances, and future-minded creative music.[1]
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.[2] Over the years, the organization has presented over one thousand events. In 2007, COTFG re-located to a performance space on Manor Rd and became a sponsored project of Salvage Vanguard Theaters. In June 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 2023 COTFG obtained their own 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
In 2009, COTFG created a festival, originally called the Modern Aural Sculpture Symposium South, to provide opportunities to explore music through workshops, discussions, experimental music performances and small installations. 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.
