Eye Zen Presents proudly introduces
Fab Lab InterGen

An innovative expansion of our Fab Lab project- bringing together queer artists across generations to preserve, interpret, and celebrate LGBTQ+ artists and their archives.

Our Vision Fab Lab InterGen teaches essential preservation skills to community members while actively processing the archives of elder artists. Through hands-on training, participants learn archival methods we do the vital work of preparing collections for permanent homes while creating digital archives that ensure the work remains accessible to inspire future generations.

As funding allows, we'll expand to include artistic mentorships uniting younger and elder artists to collaborate on new works inspired by these connections.

How FabLab: InterGen works


We bring together elder artists who need help organizing and preparing their archives with people interested in learning the skills of archiving. Interns can be students of art history, MLIS, Fine Art or community members.

  • Learn by Doing: Community members gain archival skills through hands-on processing of real collections

  • Immediate Impact: Every training session advances the preservation of an elder artist's life work

  • Scalable Approach: Program grows with funding—from focused archival processing to full artistic collaborations

  • Community Building: Group work sessions make archive processing efficient while fostering intergenerational connections

  • Professional Guidance: Seth Eisen provides training and mentorship throughout the process

Why This Work Matters Now In this moment when alternative, minority, and marginalized voices face increasing threats—when ultra-conservative movements globally seek to undo decades of social justice progress—preserving our stories becomes an act of resistance. Fab Lab InterGen teaches community members vital skills to safeguard our cultural heritage for future generations, while urgently preserving the work of elders and recently deceased artists whose legacies risk being lost, hidden, erased, or forgotten.

Building on Decades of Experience Fab Lab InterGen draws on our deep foundation of community work spanning multiple decades. We've been creating theatrical productions and creative works from historical records and archival materials for over 30 years. Our FabLab Program has been running since 2014 and became a permanent fixture in 2019. We've conducted oral histories since 2012 and have been preserving elder artists' archives since 2006. This extensive experience in both protecting queer legacies and transforming them into living art uniquely positions us to facilitate these vital intergenerational connections.

Program Benefits

  • Elder artists receive professional archival support and reach new audiences

  • Younger artists gain direct access to living history and develop new creative works

  • The community discovers hidden treasures of LGBTQ+ cultural heritage

  • All participants develop valuable archival and storytelling skills

How you can help

Support This Work Your contribution directly funds both education and preservation—every dollar teaches critical skills while saving irreplaceable cultural treasures. This work embodies Eye Zen's mission of unearthing and elevating LGBTQ+ history while protecting and promoting the legacies of our elders and ancestors, ensuring their stories continue to inspire future generations.

First Priority: The Adam Paulson Archive Project Our immediate goal centers on completing the processing of Adam Paulson's extensive archive, preparing it for placement in an academic institution while building his legacy website. A small group of emerging archivists and artists will learn preservation techniques through hands-on work with this collection, gaining skills they can apply to future projects while making real progress on this urgent preservation need.

Program Phases Based on Community Support

  • $10,000-12,000: Complete Adam Paulson's archive with mentorship for archival trainees

  • $12,000-15,000: Finalize Adam's project including website and digital archive

  • $15,000-20,000: Add a second elder artist's archive AND introduce artistic mentorship pairings

  • $25,000-35,000: Multiple archives with expanded artistic collaborations

  • $50,000: Full program including 3+ archives, community workshops, and 10+ trained archivists