What is Garden Of?

Garden Of is a queer collective located in Chicago, Illinois. Here at Garden Of we celebrate all things and all humans under the Sapphic umbrella! We believe Queer community is holy, and the intention of all of our events from the wildest parties to the calmest of lake nights is to connect you with your chosen family. When we say we have the nicest attendees in the world - we mean it. Whether you come alone, with your bestie, or a friend group, you’re going to have so many people ready to open you with open arms! Here's what some of our attendees have to say...

"I went to my first Garden Of event 3 weeks ago after craving and desperately needing sapphic friends. I went alone and was absolutely terrified. It was the kindest, most welcoming group of people I’ve met so far in the city - the people I met that night are now some of my closest and bestest friends and I’ve hung out with them multiple times since that first event. Being around other sapphics and making sapphic friends healed a HUGE hole in my heart and I couldn’t be more grateful"

"I moved to Chicago a few weeks ago, which means starting from scratch in rebuilding my queer community close to home. I found your events through TikTok, and was drawn to them with your welcoming & intentional messaging. I appreciate how creative the events are - a 'come alone' gathering made it feel like there was space for someone exactly like me, and after showing up to see a packed beach, I know that’s how so many others felt too!

Everyone was so kind, easy to talk to, and open to making new connections. I had good conversations with at least twenty new faces, and left with plans to hang out with some new friends.

The shared joy, safety, and understanding that comes with queer community is beyond important, and you’re creating conscious spaces that make naturally building community & finding your “people” possible."

What are we fundraising for?

We are wanting to open a year round space that reflects our dedication to our queer community and family. We want to create a homey yet artistic space, where we can consistently host work hours, workshops, parties, craft nights, celebrations, vendor markets, and more. While we've strived to keep operating costs as accessible as possible, we need some help getting a physical space off the ground!

What is the fundraising going towards?

We estimate around $20,000 for rent, deposit, as well as all decor, furnishings, and labor to get a beautiful space up and running for the Sapphic community of Chicago! We want to include a coffee maker, Matcha bar, etc. as well as several sections within the space serving different needs such as content creation, work spaces, dinner spaces, and more. You can see some of our inspiration for the space here!

"I’m very new into exploring my sexuality and garden of provides such a safe space to connect with others and feel authentically myself! I’ve been welcomed with open arms and look forward to growing my roots in the queer community!"

Who has access to the space?

What we're looking forward to the most about a physical space is having a consistent and safe place for community gatherings - without having to calculate buy outs, random rentals, etc. The Garden Of studio will be available in a plethora of ways..

Similar to what we do now:

Free parties and get togethers! Ideally weekly events with a $5 rec cover, but never required.
Craft Nights, weekly instead of monthly!
Private Sapphic Dinner Parties.

New options we're planning on incorporating!

Community Membership Work Hours - Membership to move your WFH hours to a sapphic office? Yes, please. $100-125/monthly based on sliding scale, available with more add ons like studio hours, unlimited matcha/coffee, etc.
Evening rentals for fellow sapphic and queer creators, sponsors, or event hosts.
Photographer + Content Creation studio rentals.
Private events for local artists, teachers, businesses, etc. Anything we can to support and uplift the Sapphic community!
And much more! Something specific you want to see? Shoot us a message!

Thank you, endlessly, for your support of Garden Of thus far and as we move into this new and exciting chapter. Cannot wait to see you in the space! xx

Garden Of Studio

By Garden Of

Garden Of Studio

Help us build a community space for the Sapphic Community of Chicago!