“If the world is saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all.”
— Daniel Quinn
What is it to be an artist? What is the difference between being a consumer and a citizen? We believe both the citizen and artist must be responsible for creating his and her own sustainable lifestyle--one that feeds a real artistic life, not the idea of one that has been designed by advertising or perpetuated by unhealthy economic models. Texas Performance Labs posits the notion that growth means more than the false illusion of building materially, attempting to define "sustainable" solely as expensive and complicated investment in infrastructure, and is instead a matter of only investing your energy in that which you can build yourself.
We are a collective of writers, musicians, filmmakers, playwrights, farmers, and creative thinkers and we're not alone. We believe there is a schism between making art and making a living and it is sustained by the perpetuation of unworkable modes of living. Work should be meaningful, art should sustain itself through creating its' own lifestyle (which must be fundamentally different from "traditional" lifestyles in this country), and business exist to support and export creativity. We are a hub that facilitates artistic work and the artistic life and makes it happen. We believe it is inappropriate to subject performing artists to board review or control or the instability of the grant structure, and as such do not follow the non-profit model.
Texas Performance Labs functions as a socially minded business and artist living space. We are an artist collective, platform for affiliated performance companies, way of life, and a mindset. We are harnessing our creative energy into a living and arts community that is sustainable financially and environmentally. Right now, we are based out of Central East Austin, and have a network of contacts and collaborators all over the world. Our current resources include a communal organic vegetable garden, studio space for providing music lessons and rehearsing, and the good will of and help from a few general contractors. We are building towards acreage on the Eastern side of Austin, where we can help incubate new work and bring in artists from around the world. This blog is a record of our process exploring new structures in which to create performance. We would love to have a chance to hear your ideas concerning sustainable modes of thriving as artists and creative individuals...
