What is the Autumn Garden Society?
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In a sense, what we're after is to create our own version of Paris in the Twenties, where the poets are talking to the sculptors are talking to the magicians are talking to the painters are talking to the stand-up comics are talking to the jazz musicians are talking to the novelists, and on and on, with all of the creative ferment and artistic excitement that comes from those cross-connections.  

What sorts of events does the Autumn Garden Society produce?

We're planning a very wide range of events--book talks on all sorts of subjects, lectures, interviews with major arts figures and cultural figures, musical performances, standup comedy evenings, cabaret, food events, wine tastings and wine dinners, Creative Collages, parties, and more, including even every now and then, a small limited-run theater production, all featuring the work of our Artistic Staff and Artist Members as well as that of non-members, and visiting artists from around the world. 

These events will be priced affordably so as to be as accessible as possible to struggling and early-career artists.  We see serving these struggling and early-career artists as the very heart of what we’re doing.

What was that about "Creative Collages"?

Every now and then, we'll hold events that we call "Creative Collages", where half a dozen of our Artist Members will share and discuss their current work and works-in-progress with an audience of Members.

How is this different from what other organizations are doing?

Other organizations plan their events hoping to appeal primarily to a more or less sophisticated General Public.  Although we think most of our events will indeed be interesting to the General Public, that is not the basis on which we plan the events.  Our events will be put together based on their appeal and value to an audience of Artists, something that no other organization does.

Beyond that, we live in a culture that, for example, treats “Classical Music”  as something that has no connection with “Standup Comedy” or “Sculpture” or “Juggling”.  We see the Arts as one thing that takes many forms, with all of these forms deeply interrelated.  No other organization does this.

But, still, the Autumn Garden Society is basically an events-producing organization?

Not really.   Our events are the means toward a larger and more important goal.  They are the magnet around which we will help coalesce a true Arts Community.

Who are the Artist Members?

Artist Membership is open to jugglers, jewelry designers, musicians, writers of all sorts, painters, dancers, magicians, actors, sculptors, djs, choreographers, comics, filmmakers, opera directors, architects, photographers--in fact, to everyone who works professionally in the arts.  To become an Artist Member you'll need to let us see some sort of evidence that you're an arts professional--things like programs, reviews, and even links to your professional website, are all fine for this purpose.

But we especially want young artists and struggling artists—don’t let that word “professional” scare you off!  Young artists and struggling artists are at the very core of what we’re doing!

What about the Patron Members?

If you are passionate about the Arts and culture but don't personally work professionally in the Arts, we’ll be delighted to welcome you as a Patron Member.  We plan eventually to have several categories of Patrons, based on their level of support, with different benefits for each level.  But the benefit that all of our Patrons will share is the opportunity to attend special Members-only events, where our Patrons will have the chance to get to know tomorrow’s arts superstars while they are still unknown to the broad public.

Why in New York City?

New York City, of all the cities in the world, is probably the most global in its Arts and Culture--young people from all over the world, in all areas of the Arts, come to New York to study, to launch their careers, and to find inspiration.  After a few years, some of them return to their original lands, some stay in New York, and some scatter to other places.  In addition, actors, dancers, musicians, from every part of the world, come to New York as a way of showing the world what they're doing.  New York's art galleries are filled with the works of visual artists from the most distant places.  All of this makes New York City the natural place to launch a new Arts Community.

Is the Autumn Garden Society a Club?

No, we're not a social club, and neither are we a career networking organization, although we'll be delighted when members make new friends and professional connections through our events.  But what we're really about is promoting and expanding the Artistic growth of our members.  (For this reason, if you’re an Artist Member, we strongly recommend making a point of attending events that you don't expect to find interesting!)

Why the name "Autumn Garden"?

We chose the name "Autumn Garden" because we liked it.  (This proves that we really are an artist-run organization.)

But why all this fuss about "the Arts"?  Isn't "Art" just a fancy way of saying "Entertainment"?

The Arts are how we as a species explore what it means to be a human being.  There is nothing more important.

And what about the long term?

In the long run, we would love to have a space of our own, with a 99 seat theater, a slightly larger hall for lectures, interviews, concerts, film screenings, and such, and a small gallery.  We plan to invite visiting artists from around the world to share their latest work with our New York members.  And we may even set up chapters in major artistic centers throughout the world.  But we'll be making things happen now without waiting for the long run!