The Present Tense

The Present Tense (Sandra Schaefer and Philip Fryer) is a performance art collective that organizes performance art events and festivals in the Boston area featuring the work of local, national and international artists working in experimental time-based media. This spring, The Present Tense is once again collaborating with TEST to produce the 3rd annual Contaminate festival of performance art.

In 2008, the Berwick gave Tier A support in their efforts to build an analog and web archive of contemporary (2003-present) performance art.

The goals for this project are to identify the exact scope and focus of the archive; securing a physical space; develop an archival structure that allow for growth; convert existing materials to a consistent and accessible format; find in-kind technological support for a website; develop a submissions system; promote to an international audience; and develop a project plan that aims at sustainability and grant eligibility for growth.

 The Present Tense recently launched a new website that will house their video archive and blog. Watch thepresenttense.org for updates!