Tofte Lake Center

WE'RE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING ARTISTS BY PROVIDING A NURTURING EXPERIENCE ROOTED IN NATURE WHERE ARTISTS OF ALL DICIPLINES AND BACKGROUNDS FEEL SAFE TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE "WORK" OF ART TO PLAY, FEEL INSPIRED, AND BE REJUVENATED. VISION: WE ENVISION AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD IN HARMONY WITH NATURE, WHERE ARTISTS ARE SUPPORTED AND CELEBRATED AND WHERE TAKING A BREAK IS RECOGNIZED AS INTEGRAL TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS.

THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED ARTISTS FROM MINNESOTA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY: TOTAL ARTISTS SERVED: 125 WE WERE ABLE TO RESUME A FULL SEASON OF PROGRAMMING IN OUR 2021 SEASON, BEING AS CAREFUL AND COVID-SAFE AS POSSIBLE DURING THE CONTINUED PANDEMIC CIRCUMSTANCES. OUR SEASON CONSISTED OF 16 WEEKS OF PROGRAMMING: WE HOSTED 6 WEEK-LONG INDIVIDUAL CREATIVE RESIDENCIES FOR ARTISTS FROM ACROSS DISCIPLINES, GEOGRAPHY, BACKGROUNDS, AND STAGES OF CAREER, PROVIDING ARTISTS WITH BOTH THE PRIVACY AND SOLITUDE TO FOCUS ON THEIR CREATIVE PROJECTS, AND PUBLIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH THEIR ARTIST COLLEAGUES AND THE LOCAL ELY COMMUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, WE INAUGURATED TWO NEW RESIDENCY PROGRAMS: OUR NATIONAL EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM FOR 10 EMERGING ARTISTS AND SMALL COLLABORATIVE TEAMS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SERVE AS A BRIDGE TO EARLY CAREER ARTISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS DISCIPLINES BY PROVIDING THEM WITH ARTISTIC COMMUNITY AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEIR PROFESSIONAL EXPRESSION, AND OUR MSAB RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR BIPOC ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TO FOCUS SUPPORT AND FOSTER COMMUNITY FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR AND ENSURE THAT THEY FEEL SAFE AND WELCOME IN NATURE, THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE ARTS BOARD. THE WEEKS FEATURE A DYNAMIC MIX OF PLAYWRIGHTS, DANCERS, PROSE WRITERS, VISUAL ARTISTS/PUPPETEERS, MUSICAL THEATRE AND MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ARTISTS. IN ADDITION TO OUR INDIVIDUAL ARTIST WEEKS, WE HOSTED 5 NEW AND VETERAN GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO GATHERED TOGETHER AT TLC THIS YEAR: THE DANCE AND DRUM GRIOT GROUP, VOICE OF CULTURE; THE ANNUAL MCKNIGHT DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER AND PLAYWRIGHT CENTER FELLOWS RETREATS; LESLIE PARKER DANCE CREATED A PERFORMANCE CALL TO REMEMBER, A WORK THAT PRIORITIZES BLACKNESS AND REMEMBRANCE AS A MEANS TO CULTIVATE COMMUNITY; OUR INAUGURAL GUIDED WORKSHOP WRITING WITHOUT WORRY GAVE INSTRUCTION TO WRITERS AT ALL STAGES OF THEIR CAREER; MINNEAPOLIS' REVERED PILLSBURY HOUSE AND THEATRE GATHERED FOR AN ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING RETREAT AS THEY ENVISION THEIR NEXT CHAPTER. ASIDE FROM THESE PROFESSIONAL RESIDENCIES, WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH UNIVERSITIES: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-AUSTIN MFA GRADUATE PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS EXPLORED THEIR NEW PLAYS TO GET THEM PRODUCTION-READY FOR UT'S 2022 SEASON; AND STUDENTS FROM MACALESTER COLLEGE IN ST. PAUL WERE ALSO RESIDENCE, WITH A RIGOROUS VOICE, MOVEMENT AND TECHNIQUE BOOTCAMP. WE ALSO COLLABORATED WITH 3 OTHER NATIONALLY KNOWN NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO HOST OUR SECOND SEASON OF SUPPORT FOR THE 4 SEASONS PLAYWRIGHT RESIDENCY PROGRAM WHICH SUPPORTS A PLAYWRIGHT AND THEIR PROCESS OVER THE CALENDAR YEAR IN FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WITH COVID-19 STILL PRESENT, WE WERE CAUTIOUS ABOUT SHARING EVENTS WITH THE PUBLIC. TWIN CITIES CHOREOGRAPHER MATHEW JANCZEWSKI AND HIS DANCE COMPANY ARENA DANCES SHARED EXCERPTS FROM THEIR NEW WORK, THERMAL, WHERE THEY EXPLORE THE PRESSING ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HOW HUMAN BEHAVIOR AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT AND VICE VERSA. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A POST-SHOW CONVERSATION WITH THE ELY AREA NATURALISTS, WHO RESPONDED TO HOW THE IDEAS IN THE PERFORMANCE RELATE TO THEIR REGION SPECIFICALLY. IN GOVERNANCE, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTED TO RATIFY OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN AND OUTLINED PATHWAYS TO ACHIEVING OUR OVERARCHING GOALS OF BECOMING AN ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATION, CULTIVATING AND STRENGTHENING OUR ARTISTIC AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS, INCREASING OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY, INVESTING IN OUR STORY, AND ACHIEVING ORGANIZATIONAL STABILITY WHILE BEING RESPECTFUL STEWARDS OF THE LAND WE OCCUPY. WE UNDERWENT A BRANDING PROCESS TO MORE CLEARLY DEFINE, ARTICULATE AND COMMUNICATE OUR MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES, ARE IN THE PROCESS OF LAUNCHING A NEW WEBSITE, AND ARE FOR THE FIRST TIME PREPARING TO HIRE A MANAGING DIRECTOR AS A FIRST STEP IN EXPANDING OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, TO EXPAND OUR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, DEEPEN AND STRENGTHEN OUR MAJOR, MID-RANGE, AND FIRST-TIME DONORS, AND CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION GOALS. WE HAVE INCREASED THE CONSISTENCY OF OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY NETWORKS, DEEPENED OUR COLLABORATIONS WITH OUR LOCAL ARTISTIC AND BUSINESS PARTNERS AND NATIONAL PEER ORGANIZATIONS, AND ARE LEVERAGING NEW CONNECTIONS AS WE PROGRESS TOWARDS EXPANDED ACCESS AND FULLER SUBSIDIES FOR ARTISTS ACROSS GEOGRAPHIC, RACIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, GENERATIONAL, GENRE, AND ABILITY LINES.