About the Open Call

Applications for Tofte Lake Center's 2026 season of artist residencies are open from December 1st to December 31st, 2025. Artists will be notified by March 31st, 2026. The program includes several distinct residency opportunities: * **Minnesota BIPOC Artist Residency (June 5-11, 2026):** A week-long residency for 6 BIPOC artists of any discipline, fostering community, personal work time, and rejuvenation. Lodging is provided, with potential for additional stipends (grant dependent). * **Curated Artist Residency (June 14-24, 2026):** A ten-day residency connecting local and national artists, supporting individual or small collaborative teams in literary, performing, and visual arts. Focuses on creating work in a natural environment and in community. Includes a partnership with Boundary Waters Connect for two artists from the Ely/Arrowhead region. Lodging is provided. Open to artists of any discipline, career stage, over 18, residing in the Arrowhead Region. * **Artist Educators Residency (July 4-10, 2026):** A week-long residency for 6 artist educators to focus on their own artistic practice, offering rest and rejuvenation. Balances personal work with community interaction. Lodging is provided, but no additional stipends or travel subsidies are available at this time. Open to artists who teach at K-12 or higher educational institutions or identify as freelance teaching artists. * **Minnesota Family Artist Residency (July 13-19, 2026):** A week-long residency for Minnesota parent-artists, accommodating single parent artists or those bringing a spouse/partner and 1-2 children (ages 6-13). Children enjoy supervised age-appropriate activities. Lodging provided. Open to parent artists residing in Minnesota with children aged 6-13. * **The Art of Fire: Artistic Journeys in Forest Stewardship and Fire Residency (September 9-15, 2026):** An inaugural themed residency for six artists of any discipline, structured to balance individual creative work with exploration into fire and fire ecology. Includes educational opportunities from experts and immersive field trips. Open to artists over 18 residing in Minnesota.

What is Offered

Lodging is provided for all residencies. The Minnesota BIPOC Artist Residency hopes to provide additional stipends (grant dependent). Other residencies may not offer stipends or travel subsidies.

Requirements

Eligibility varies by residency. General requirements include being an artist over the age of 18. Specific programs may require applicants to identify as BIPOC, reside in Minnesota or the Arrowhead Region, be an artist educator (K-12, higher education, or freelance), or be a parent artist with children between the ages of 6-13 residing in Minnesota. All disciplines are welcome.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2026 season are open from December 1st to December 31st, 2025. Applicants can find specific 'Apply Now!' links for each residency listed on the website.