Tofte Lake Center at Norm's Fish Camp

Tofte Lake Center at Norm's Fish Camp TLC provides residencies for artists who crave dedicated time to work on their projects.

Tofte Lake Center was created in 2007 to help artists expand and deepen their creative potential through collaboration with creators and thinkers in other fields. Located on the shores of a beautifully secluded lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota, Tofte Lake Center’s protected natural environment focuses residents’ time around their creative work
and interaction with the

physical surroundings. All work takes place in a supportive community offering
daily opportunities for interaction, stimulation and reflection. Our programs and activities stem from the inherent belief that
individual creativity is the essential tool in our evolution as a culture.

What a fabulous week with Playwrights Center!2026 Playwright Fellows kicked off their season by stepping out of the bust...
08/31/2026

What a fabulous week with Playwrights Center!

2026 Playwright Fellows kicked off their season by stepping out of the bustle of the City and onto the beautiful TLC campus. Community was built through shared meals, work, and conversation and fun was had by all on hikes and movie nights. And don’t forget the sightings of the little bear that kept us on our toes!

Playwrights Center, we are so glad you came to TLC for your 13th visit, and we can’t wait to see you again for year 14!

2 artists, 4 seasons!Congrats to our alums (and 4 Season Fellows) Julia Izumi and Megan Tabaque!We are beyond excited to...
08/27/2026

2 artists, 4 seasons!

Congrats to our alums (and 4 Season Fellows) Julia Izumi and Megan Tabaque!

We are beyond excited to whoot and toot two of our 4 Seasons Fellows they land in the same place at the same time with our partner organization, Launch Pad. If you are in the neighborhood, please check them out today at Lanch Pad's summer reading series.

What an incredible week we’ve had!BETTY was our first crew back to the Lake, and they filled TLC’s nooks and crannies wi...
08/20/2026

What an incredible week we’ve had!

BETTY was our first crew back to the Lake, and they filled TLC’s nooks and crannies with fabulous fun! When they weren’t enjoying the soft sound of rain in the Aerie (thanks for the rain dance!), they were busy singing, writing, performing and painting. And did we say playing? There was plenty of time for midnight flotillas, saunas, and campfire circles (without the campfires, or course). We hope your frisky frolic makes its way back to us very, very soon.

Help us wish a fond farewell to Paul Kruse , Chelsie Newhard, Cody Masback,
Shelby Richardson, MK Tuomanen, and Josiah Thomas Turner.
Oh BETTY, what a sweet good-bye (unless you are still hiding under the bed, then we will see you tomorrow). Keep in touch!

What an incredible week we’ve had!BETTY was our first crew back to the Lake, and they filled TLC’s nooks and crannies wi...
08/20/2026

What an incredible week we’ve had!

BETTY was our first crew back to the Lake, and they filled TLC’s nooks and crannies with fabulous fun! When they weren’t enjoying the soft sound of rain in the Aerie (thanks for the rain dance!), they were busy singing, writing, performing and painting. And did we say playing? There was plenty of time for midnight flotillas, saunas, and campfire circles (without the campfires, or course). We hope your frisky frolic makes its way back to us very, very soon.

Help us wish a fond farewell to , , ,
, .tuomanen, and Josiah Thomas Turner.
Oh BETTY, what a sweet good-bye (unless you are still hiding under the bed, then we will see you tomorrow). Keep in touch!

Arrive once and stay for two fabulous events on August 23rd at Tofte Lake Center!3-5 PM Courtney Yasmineh in ConcertSong...
08/17/2026

Arrive once and stay for two fabulous events on August 23rd at Tofte Lake Center!

3-5 PM Courtney Yasmineh in Concert
Songs will be flying through the Aerie as Courtney Yasmineh performs a full concert of songs from her twelve album body of work. She'll be including favorites by Bob Dylan, whose music has been her north star throughout her career.
$20 at the door

6-7:30 PM Sound Bathing with Nancy Scheibe!
Sound healing, or a sound bath, is a meditation practice that uses calming sounds and vibrations to relax the body and mind. These vibrations help shift brainwaves, ease tension, and support a sense of inner balance.
$25 per class, at the door

For more information go to https://www.toftelake.org/events

We are thrilled to woot and toot our alum, Arit Etukudo!Arit was awarded $10,000 from the Grit Fund for an immersive mu...
08/17/2026

We are thrilled to woot and toot our alum, Arit Etukudo!

Arit was awarded $10,000 from the Grit Fund for an immersive multidisciplinary installation exhibition exploring grief, loss, memory, and ancestral archiving. Her project features a multidisciplinary exhibition, a performance film installation, creative workshops, and a communal archival photo project.

Grit Fund supports projects that add to the vibrancy and development of Baltimore’s arts and culture. Artists and cultural organizers create vital connections within our communities, but it can be difficult to find funding to create, collaborate, and make an impact. Grit Fund makes arts funding accessible for everyone, focusing on projects that bring artists and community members together to explore a sense of place and shared space.

Congrats, ! We can!'t wait to see the exhibition!

Join us in welcoming BETTY to the Lake!In this alumni curated week, Minneapolis-based performance group BETTY (Shelby Ri...
08/14/2026

Join us in welcoming BETTY to the Lake!

In this alumni curated week, Minneapolis-based performance group BETTY (Shelby Richardson, MK Tuomanen, and Paul Kruse) gather a group of artists for a week-long retreat at TLC to develop new work. We can't wait to see what surprises are in store as they practice playful performance, paddle, swim, and sing with the loons.

Help us welcome , , , , , , .tuomanen, and Josiah Thomas Turner to the Lake!

Our wellness series continues and it's out of this world! Join us at TLCfor Meditative Star Bathing with Holly and Shell...
08/13/2026

Our wellness series continues and it's out of this world!

Join us at TLCfor Meditative Star Bathing with Holly and Shelley. We'll see you in the Aerie (follow the signs!) on campus at 7:00 PM. More info at https://www.toftelake.org/mindfullness.

The next Ely for Ely Monthly Gathering is on August 11th! This gathering will be a listening session and discussion on t...
08/10/2026

The next Ely for Ely Monthly Gathering is on August 11th! This gathering will be a listening session and discussion on the economic challenges from the fires, before discussing ways to engage seasonal residents, tourists, and use social media to share what's going on in Ely at this time.

We invite you to come the the Ely Folk School on August 11th at 7:30am to share your stories and discuss actionable ways share Ely-based information and messages with those who love Ely but are not here.

There will be a zoom option available and the link will be posted on both the Boundary Waters Connect page, in an email on Monday, and in this event as well.

See you on Tuesday!

Congrats to our alum, Isabella Dawis!Her musical, Sunwatcher, has been chosen forNAMT's New Works Festival to be held in...
08/04/2026

Congrats to our alum, Isabella Dawis!

Her musical, Sunwatcher, has been chosen forNAMT's New Works Festival to be held in New Your City this October.

Now in its 38th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is an industry-only professional development event offering the chance to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days. To find out more go to: https://namt.org/2026/07/fest26-announcement/

Sunwtacher, developed at TLC, is a musical with many accolades, including finalist for the 2025 Richard Rodgers Award, and we are delighted to celebrate this new milestone with Isabella.

Congrats, Isabella! We couldn't be happier for you!

Address

2209 Fernberg Road
Ely, MN
55731

Telephone

(218) 365-7769

Website

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