CREATE AT NATURE’S PACE
Tofte Lake Center (TLC) is a non-profit organization that provides residencies for artists who crave dedicated time to work on their projects, for creatives who seek individual growth through guided workshops or retreats, for arts organizations that want to make time to re/focus on their goals or mission, for arts leaders to gather to exchange ideas with colleagues in their field. TLC is on a pristine lake near Ely, Minnesota, and adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
“Every time I go to TLC, my life changes. Things come up for me.
It is personal and artistic growth for me.”
— Alanna Morris, dancer & choreographer
RESIDENCY PROGRAMS
& GUIDED RETREATS
Residencies at TLC embrace artists in the visual, literary and performing arts including playwriting, poetry, prose writing, painting, photography, music composition, and dance. We provide space and time for artists to experience community, nature, play and rejuvenation — all in support of their delving into their creative lives and work.
the tofte lake experience
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We honor and acknowledge the Anishinaabe and Dakota people, the ancestral caretakers of this land; we take this time to consider the acts of violence, displacement, and unjust treatment toward them that have occurred over many generations; we offer our respect and gratitude to the elders of the past, to those living today, and to those who will come in the future, for their careful stewardship of this land and its resources and for the rich cultural legacy they will continue to create here.
“This residency was one of the best weeks of my life. I had unfettered, independent time to immerse myself in my art and in my creative process in the very special place that is TLC. I feel like I was cleansed and renewed, becoming more connected to myself and my artistry in a deep, internal place.”
— Gemma Isaacson, choreographer & dancer
WHAT’S UP ELY PODCAST EPISODE 12:
DRAMATURGY, TOFTE LAKE CENTER, JULY EVENTS,
& FUN ON THE LAKES
