Founded by art historian and curator RoseLee Goldberg, Performa is the leading organization dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth-century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the twenty-first century. Our mission is four–fold: to award and produce Performa Commissions that result in new live performances by exceptional American and international contemporary artists; to present the three-week international Performa Biennial of live performance featuring these new commissions at venues across New York City every other year; to offer public education programs, exhibitions and produce print publications through the Performa Institute that illuminate the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth-century culture; and to disseminate performance related content, context and commentary through our archives and digital content channels that reach global audiences.

Performa’s Objectives are:

– Commission artists from across disciplines to realize ambitious, interdisciplinary and often large-scale live performances and provide the financial and specialized production support from conception to final presentation of the work.
– Engage with artists in every aspect of developing, planning, and executing their commissions at all stages of its development and presentation.
Present the only biennial focused on interdisciplinary live-performance comprised of three weeks of daily programing that includes over 30 large and smaller–scale new commissioned live performances presented alongside another 12—20 performances produced and co–presented by a diverse range of cultural partners.
– Collaborate with art institutions and performing art presenters around the world to create dynamic and historically significant performance programs.
– Through the Performa Institute, offer an ongoing educational platform for expanding the knowledge and understanding of this critical area of visual art and cultural history.

Performa Biennial

Launched in 2005 and now celebrated worldwide as the first biennial to give special attention to the remarkable history of performance in art history, the Performa Biennial transforms the city of New York into the “world capital of artists’ performance” every other November. Founded as a citywide festival – “the original, mother-of-all performance festivals” according to ARTNET– since 2005 the Performa Biennial offers a thoughtful and exhilarating mix of artistic experiences and urban adventure for both local and visiting audiences every other November. A prominent platform for artists and ideas that might otherwise be marginalized, the Biennial showcases the work of a broad and diverse cross-section of artists, providing a highly selective but broad overview of multidisciplinary contemporary art and performance in settings that invite conversation. Performa’s commissioning program is at the HEART of its success, encouraging collaborations between artists from different fields and areas of performance expertise, and enabling the production and presentation of early and seminal works by some of today’s most influential figures in the art and performance worlds. The presentation of these works in a convivial festival format, complemented by extensive research and publishing platforms, has contributed to both growing audiences and increased attention and scholarship on interdisciplinary performance.

Source: www.performa-arts.org