The Art of Fire Residency at Tofte Lake Center Applications Open!

The Art of Fire Residency at Tofte Lake Center Applications Open!

• Dec 03, 2025

TLC announced its 2026 season—its 18th year at the lake—with applications for three artist residencies open from December 1 to December 31. The season blends returning and new opportunities: the Parent-Artist and Arts Educator residencies continue to provide focused creative time, while The Art of Fire residency grows from ongoing conversations with the U.S. Forest Service.

With fewer Individual Artist Residency Weeks this year, TLC is introducing new programming to support artists while adapting to shifts in funding, with hopes to expand individual residencies in the future.

ARTIST EDUCATORS RESIDENCY


July 4–10, 2026

This week-long residency offers six artist educators dedicated time to prioritize themselves and their creative practice. The program combines personal work time with opportunities for community connection and optional sharing of work or process, all designed to support each participant’s individual goals and needs.

MINNESOTA FAMILY ARTIST RESIDENCY


July 13–19, 2026

This week-long residency supports Minnesota parent-artists, welcoming single parents as well as artists attending with a spouse or partner and one to two children. The program provides dedicated time for artists to focus on their work while children participate in age-appropriate, supervised activities both onsite and in town. A childcare professional oversees youth programming for part of each day, allowing parents meaningful time for creative practice.

THE ART OF FIRE: ARTISTIC JOURNEYS IN FOREST STEWARDSHIP AND FIRE RESIDENCY


September 9–15, 2026

This inaugural themed residency, offered in collaboration with area partners, welcomes six artists from any discipline. The week combines dedicated creative time with guided exploration into fire, fire ecology, and related practices. Experts in historical fire regimes, Indigenous stewardship, and other key areas provide educational sessions, while artists engage in small-group indoor and outdoor learning paired with immersive field trips that bring classroom concepts to life.

Additional residency offerings round out the season, including the alumni-curated BIPOC Artists Week, the first Alumni-Curated Group Residency, and region-specific opportunities sponsored by Boundary Waters Connect. New residencies for singer-songwriters and musicians join the lineup, alongside the revived Filmmakers’ Residency in partnership with the Ely Film Festival. Longstanding partners—the Playwrights’ Center and McKnight Dancers & Choreographers—return with their fellows, and Producer Hub joins TLC for the first time to support independent producers.

Applications are available at the Tofte Lake Center's Website found here!