North Star Foundation of the Mesaba Incorporated

Northstar Foundation — a small non-profit offers summer arts camps for children at northern Minnesota Nature retreat.

Northstar Foundation, a small Minnesota non-profit has offered arts camps for children at Mesaba Co-op Park near Hibbing for the last 20 years. The volunteer-driven camps serve children, ages 8 – 14, utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach combining music, dance and theatre with hands-on art, such as mural painting and puppetry. Each experience provides a unique combination of creative art activities for the children, along with explorations of nature with experienced naturalists.

The day camps are held in the unique natural setting of Mesaba Co-op Park consisting of 240-forested acres, with a pristine, spring-fed lake and historic rustic buildings constructed 85 years ago. Between 20 and 25 children attend the camp each year, most coming from the Iron Range and a smaller number traveling from Duluth and the Twin Cities. The instructors at the camp are accomplished artists and who have a passion for sharing their skills and inspiring children.

Grants from various sources have allowed Northstar Foundation to keep the costs to parents very low. Some of the prominent funders have been the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, Lake Country Power’s Operation Round-Up, the Hibbing Foundation and Elizabeth Ewen’s John E. Forichette Memorial Trust.