Hello everyone — been a while. It has taken that long to get all the calculating done, but done it is, and here it is.

The final net tally of funds raised for the Geneva Centre through The Autists on May 2, 2010, after every cent of expenses, is $177,346.09.

The Autists will rise again in spring 2011 — precise date still pending

Yes, we are amazed. Yes, the Geneva Centre will be able to do a great deal more good for those with autism who need a hand with socialization into the world out there. And yes, darn right we’re doing this again next year.

Where the money goes

The programs that will receive this money cover many aspects of getting oneself into society — from tapping the work market to having a go at all the fun pursuits the bulk of Western civilization takes for granted. Everything from building a career, making a respectable living, gaining confidence, exercising independence, buying property, partaking of travel to exotic locales, finding love, raising a family and paying taxes to living through a difficult divorce, filing for bankruptcy, rising anew from the bitter ashes of defeat, wondering where all the years went and why your kids hate you — it’s all to be that much closer to those who previously could only guess what it tasted like!

Another round of thanks

And all of you who volunteered, attended the event, played and performed at the event, donated cash, services and materials to transform The Autists from a bent little idea into a gleaming, spanking, vivid reality — you are to be congratulated, thanked and lauded publicly. Let it be known that all of us on the Gala Steering Committee as well as the management, staff and volunteers at the Geneva Centre for Autism are doing our best to see that that happens.

Avoid disappointment — visit here often

Keep coming back here, to the official insider blog of The Autists, please. I will keep you posted on all the news, gossip, breakthroughs and other listable things (I like to list) that come along, as they come along.

Cheers for now,

Paul Fenn

Uncle Charlie Creative Inc.

Since May 2, the day of The Autists, I’ve not had a moment’s rest. Pitching new clients, launching a new business and keeping up with demand from existing clients. So a quick postmort.

In sum, a massive success. We sold off virtually everything on auction, both the live and silent versions, at generally strong prices. We had three exceptional musicians — Chaka Khan, Matt Savage and Samantha Mutis — perform for us at what several conductors and musicians have already ranked among the finest concert venues in North America, Koerner Hall. And we raised a considerable sum for Geneva Centre for Autism, the exact amount I do not yet know.

I have big plans for The Autists in future, which I’ll share as they inch toward fruition.

Vast thanks to all those who worked with me, donated product, time and sweat to help our event rock the world. In no particular order they are:

Charles Pachter, for curating like the true master he is, and bringing in all those talents whose work gave our event much added oomph

Albert Schultz, for selling the goods, making us laugh and making it look far too easy

Peter Doig, for donating a fine and valuable work that helped our cause immeasurably

Stan Morantz, for saying yes to all our printing needs faster than it took him to read the list of them

Wallace Edwards, for donating a fabulous work (two actually — long story) without hesitation

Curt Detweiler, for hooking us up from San Fran with a top ad creative team in Toronto to do the outdoor and print campaigns

Jon Freir & Chunky, for producing those ads quickly and tastefully

David Shephard, Dali and Cornelius, for the blog design, ad tweaks and other last-minute favours

Fidel Pena & Claire Dawson, for designing The Autists logo and invitations that set a high and early mark and made a mere idea shine a few million candlepower brighter than it would’ve in lesser hands

Chaka, Matt & Sam, for singing, playing and giving all and remaining at the top of your respective games throughout

John Alcorn, for organizing the music, bringing such consummate pros to back up Chaka, to the extent that she took the time to write and thank us for making the experience unusually rich for her

Hindy Abelson, for believing, acting on it, tapping her people, and watching my back

Holly Bannerman, for watching Hindy’s back, and being a calming presence throughout many typhoons of uncertainty

Katie Wilson, for feeding me much useful info and enabling me to experience more personal organization than I’ve ever known, or may ever know again

Boss Marg Whelan, for saying yea not nay to a loony fundraising event, then being such a class act while attending it

The Koerner Hall-ers, for your professionalism, understanding and endless assistance

The staff at Geneva Centre, for doing what you do and making an absolute difference to the lives of people who really need a difference made

Paul Fenn

Uncle Charlie Creative Inc.

On all counts — funds raised, art auctioned, Autists well served, music played, music heard, venue utterly appreciated, food devoured, booze knocked back, hearts lifted, people helped — The Autists was a smash-bang success.

The Gourmet Reception (aka the eating and champagne bit) was brilliant, everyone nicely ravenous for the irresistible catered morsels cooked up by the masters at Daniel et Daniel. By 6pm, Koerner Hall’s glassed-in lobby was chock-a-block with well-dressed, well-intentioned Torontonians and out-of-towners, all about to be entertained, if we were getting our way, to the outer limits of possibility.

Marg Whelan, Director at Geneva Centre for Autism, made a perfect welcome speech — by turns moving, cheeky and short. On her heels came 19-year-old singer Samantha Mutis, who shared with us how she’d once been a reserved young girl with autism, picked on by lesser minds and made miserable by it all. To see her now, you’d never suspect — she absolutely outclasses all imaginable nemeses. She sang her beautiful, sweet heart out with a fine piano accompaniment. When you meet Sam in the flesh, you’re instantly a fan, you want to witness her career in ascension — a feeling that cannot be helped. To her, there’s an intelligence and grace seldom encountered in your typical 19-year-old.

With Charlie Pachter intro-ing the works and Albert Schultz selling them in his fearless, witticism-flecked manner, this was about the best excitement to be found anywhere in the city that night. Drama, tension and a touch of potential heartbreak — because you’re willing each artist’s work to fetch a solid, flattering price, which alas can’t always happen… but we were pleased at the results. (More on them in upcoming days and weeks.)

Next up, Matt Savage playing insanely tricky jazz numbers on the grand piano like he was walking his dog. And I don’t mean a few cool licks. I’m talking Miles Davis played with a style and an ease that was simply too sophisticated for any kid of just 17 (I believe he’s 18 at this time) to possess. After a few numbers, Matt was joined by Samantha who sang once again in pitch-perfection.

The two of them personified the whole point of the event: That those with autism can achieve the most unlikely heights, given the encouragement, education, patience and love that they need.

By this time I was veering nicely into champagne country, and feeling so proud of what all our people had put together that I could barely concentrate on what was going on in front of me. We took another lobby refreshment break while Chaka Khan & the band got set up.

And Chaka was masterful. Brave, reaching up and taking wild risks, but never stumbling. Her band, all locals, were as tight as a new pair of socks, and Chaka gave them ample moments to shine their own lights with wickedly fine solos. Consummate pros, all.

Five short hours after it began, it was done. Few people departed in the interim, meaning, I’ll venture, that they were having a great time while underwriting this great cause. The trick to holding everyone so rapt seemed to be variety and economy; not too much of anything along with plenty or everything — to keep imaginations fully engaged right to the last.

The amount raised is still being calculated. But whatever it comes to in the end, it will go in aid of Geneva Centre for Autism programs that help those living with autism spectrum disorders.

In coming posts I’ll add pictures, thank our sponsors, artists and volunteers, and everyone else I can think of, who helped this event rock our city.

But for now, collectively, Thank You to all involved.

Paul Fenn

Uncle Charlie Creative Inc.

Confirmed yesterday morning via email from Hungary, Albert Schultz, founding artistic director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, stage and television actor, master of the spoken word, all around man’s (and woman’s) man, will walk the planks at Koerner Hall as auctioneer for the The Autists Gala live art auction.

Experts agree, we couldn’t have found a better candidate for the job. Albert has done many auctions before and is widely viewed as one of Toronto’s great wits. A native of Port Hope, Ontario, Albert has worked for years getting onto stage, and acting in, some of the most creative and cutting edge theatre ever seen in the nation.

It’s fair to say that Albert is live theatre in these parts, playing roles ranging from Hamlet to Chief Executive Fundraiser, and most everything in between. He even played Conrad Black in a major Canadian TV biopic on the now-incarcerated business titan — not a role just any old actor could wear well.

One space left to fill; and, of course, sponsorship

Albert’s joining us means The Autists now has but one key Gala Night position remaining: That of Master of Ceremonies. No contenders’ names ought be mentioned just yet, but we hope to bring you news of this soon.

With just 3.5 months to lift-off, we are now into the sponsorship drive phase of the event, and in earnest. We’re looking for corporate and individual sponsors able to fund various portions of our event in amounts ranging from $5k to $50k, though we promise not to scoff at offers exceeding the latter amount. If you inhabit such a corporate or institutional entity, or are a generous person of means, we invite you get in touch with The Autists’ fundraising chief, Hindy Abelson at habelson (at) autism.net.

As for Albert, from the depths of our well-peppered souls, we organizers thank you, sir, for stepping forth as you have. We can’t wait to see you do what you do best — speak really quickly on stage with minimal syllabic entanglement.

Behold our Save This Date thingy, which brings you up to speed on The Autists at a glance:

Chaka Khan has just confirmed her attendance as headline act for The Autists.

Does this woman need an introduction?

To do so with any degree of originality is to commit to a serious regime of cliche avoidance. And since that cannot be done, we’ll embrace the cliches, own ‘em and get ‘em out of the way in one sentence: Chaka Khan is royalty, an enduring superstar, a wellspring of talent, is a force for the collective soul, a doer of good, a haver of fun and an eminent presence. Oh, and she has a wickedly powerful, sensual voice, too, which is handy when you make your living as a singer. Ok, so it took two sentences.

A visit to her website is a satisfying journey into her music and her soul.

Chaka Khan is a powerful presence in the generosity dept. Through her amazing Chaka Khan Foundation, she helps kids at risk in the South Central L.A. neighbourhood gain access to opportunities in education, and hence, a more promising future. Through a crafty mix of well-harnessed fellow celebrities, insightful mentors, college scholarships, specialized training programs in life skills as well as financial acumen, she’s helping a great many kids use their own brains and ambition to find their way out of poverty and the unsavory forces that accompany it.

And as the relative of someone with autism, Chaka Khan also supports programs that enable kids with autism reach their full potential, as well as aiding their families to offset the associated financial burdens.

We are so touched by this graceful nod to us that it has reignited the fire under us, the one that drives us to make this event so rich, so substantial and effectual, so packed with energy and life and celebration.

So, with maximum sincerity and alacrity, from all of us putting The Autists together and all of those who will benefit from your generosity — thank you, Ms Chaka Khan.

News just in this morning from Charles Pachter: One of the world’s great living photographers, Edward Burtynsky, has committed to donate a work to be auctioned in support of The Autists.

The native of St. Catharines, Ontario, has astonished the world with his work, much of which has the power to literally evacuate the air from an unsuspecting set of lungs at first glance. He possesses the singular ability to make profoundly ugly landscapes and scenes of utter wrongness irresistible to the soul of the beholder.

The quotidian, largely unseen horrors of modern life, the giant-sized bites it exacts from the earth and its humblest inhabitants, the ultimate essence and price of being industrial — this is the currency of Edward Burtynsky.

His website is well worth a visit.

With humility and gratitude, we welcome the man aboard.

And once again, we are indebted to Charles Pachter for making this happen for The Autists.

As well as bringing us a huge slice of this country’s greatest artistic talent to contribute works, The Autists’ Art Curator, Charlie Pachter, has also graciously signed on as a contributor to our live art auction.

His work is iconic, ironic and patriotic — not an easy blend to master. But master it he does. He’s perfected the creative send-up — royalty, sacred cows (and moose) — whatever passes within reach of his ebullient imagination. His talents extend well beyond fine art into the worlds of architecture, education, fund-raising and, it seems, pretty much anything he applies himself to.

Below, a few choice samples of his work.

We recommend a visit to Charles’ website where you’ll experience loads more of his art, as well as detailed tours of his many architectural and renovation projects, including his current home/studio, The Moose Factory, in Toronto’s Chinatown.

Yet another highly-regarded Canadian artist has agreed to donate work to The Autists’ live auction. Diana Thorneycroft, based in Winnipeg, has exhibited across North America, Europe and in Russia, Japan and Australia. Her work is by turns dark, hilarious and discomfiting, but never less than intriguing, and has thus earned her many an award and accolade.

Her accomplishments range from inclusion in Phaidon Press’ publication Blink, which profiled 100 rising-star photographers, to Canadian Art Magazine naming her most recent show one of its Top 10 Exhibitions of 2008.

See Diane’s portfolio here.

Great news — already — from our newly installed Art Curator, Mr Charles Pachter: He has sought and received pledges from five prominent artists to donate work to The Autists for the live auction portion of the event.

Here’s a little about each of them and a few peeks at their work.

Viktor Mitic, a native of Belgrade, Serbia, is a master of the stylized portrait and vivid, colour-saturated abstracts among his other techniques and approaches.

His work has shown in Japan, Serbia and his current base, Toronto, and hangs in the private collections of many well-known Canadians, from former Prime Ministers and ministers to sports celebrities.

Check out more of his work here.

Joanne Tod is a Toronto artist and lecturer whose vast array of superbly crafted work has been exhibited nationally and internationally over the past 20 years.

Joanne’s work spans portraiture as well as Pop Art-inspired social critique and examination. It is on display in the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and Montreal’s musee d’art contemporain, as well as private art collectors.

See more of her work here.

Kim Dorland is a Canadian-born artist whose work examines the psychic, nostalgic spaces of his Canadian upbringing.

His work regularly shows in galleries internationally and is part of collections at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Neumann Family Collection in New York and the Sander Collection in Berlin, as well as several corporate portfolios.

See much more of Kim’s work here.

Thrush Holmes is a talented artist based in Toronto. The OCAD alumnus has had work recently shown in galleries in Ottawa, California, Toronto, Ireland and many other cities and countries. Self-taught, he tackles notions of art, myth, introspection and biography via a great variety of mediums, and to great effect.

His work is also in Elton John’s private collection, and is regularly featured in influential publications.

See more of his art here.

Kent Monkman is an artist of Cree ancestry who works in a variety of media including paint, film/video, performance and installation. His approach swirls over, under and in between extreme in-your-face hellraising and witty social critique. One thing it’s not is dull.

He has exhibited widely within Canada and is well represented in numerous private and public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

See more of Kent’s work here (and don’t miss the Louis Vuitton quiver).

All in all an exceptional lineup for an art event. An unbelievable one for a fundraiser.

All of us at The Autists and the Geneva Centre for Autism would like to extend a gigantic welcome to all five of these incredible talents, and a profusion of thanks for their generosity.

Oh, and very nice work, Charles.

Gifted, awarded and much celebrated Canadian artist Wallace Edwards has agreed to donate a work of his art — as yet to be determined — to The Autists for auction at our May 2nd, 2010 extravaganza.

The creator, author and painter of Alphabeasts, Mixed Beasts, Painted Circus and numerous other award-laden children’s publications, agreed to the donation yesterday.

Known for his refreshingly unconventional imagination and an ability to get its progeny down on canvas or paper with vivid precision, Wallace has worked hard to establish his reputation as one of Canada’s premier artists.

Born in Ottawa, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, he works mainly in watercolours and pencil, skillfully blending techniques ranging from cartooning to scientific illustration. His works are in public and private collections, books, magazines and on public display all over North America.

Wallace has received a great many awards, ranging from the Governor General’s Literary Award (Children’s Book Illustration) for Alphabeasts (2002) and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award as well as the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award for Monkey Business (2004) to the Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Gold Medal (for best children’s picture book, age 7 & over) in 2007 for The Extinct Files (2006).

All of us at The Autists extend a warm welcome aboard to Wallace and thank him profusely for his kind donation.