Tofte Lake Center

Make Residency & Retreat Possible for Artists!

At TLC we envision a world where all artists are recognized as the meaning-bearers of our culture and are equitably supported and sustained in their artistic voice and vision. Each year we move closer to the day when all individual residencies at TLC are fully funded. We know we can achieve this with your help!

Our Give to the Max goal of $6,600 supports one week-long residency at TLC for one cohort of artists. We have secured a generous matching gift for every dollar that you give up to $2,500 -- doubling your impact.

 

Every day, we benefit from art, but rarely do we truly support the artists who make it. Art connects us to our humanity. It inspires, provokes, and comforts. Now more than ever, we need art, and the artists who create it, to help us understand and empathize with one another in an increasingly fractured world. In this moment, we need the exact opposite: peace, space, rest, and healing. Tofte Lake Center provides this essential, gentle space for artists to recharge and recenter their artistic practice which has the power to impact us all.

 

We hope that you share our belief that supporting artists is essential. Like many non-profit organizations, TLC has been rocked by changes impacting funders, foundations, grant makers, and individual donors. We recognize that we are all collectively living through a period of incredible disruption, and we see the toll this disruption is having on the artists we serve.  In 2025 we provided approximately 100 resident artists the opportunity to center their work and nurture their spirit. Help us make a tangible difference in the lives of 100 more deserving artists in 2026 with a gift today.

Who We Are

Tofte Lake Center (TLC) is a nature-based retreat center providing space and time for artists to experience community, nature, play and rejuvenation — all in support of their creative lives and work. TLC is open to individual artists seeking growth through guided workshops and/or retreats, arts organizations that want to make time to re/focus on their goals or mission, and arts leaders seeking to exchange ideas and thoughts with colleagues in their field. 

Our Mission: We provide time and space for artists to be transformed by their connection with nature and their art-making in creative community.

Our Vision: We envision an interconnected world in harmony with nature, where all artists are valued, supported, and celebrated.

In the video below some of our amazing artists share just what is so special about the TLC community. If you'd like to hear more from our artists click here! click here!

What We've Done

Who We Serve

Thank You!

It takes a community to continue our important work, and we are so glad that you are a part of it. Will you join us in reaching our goal? Every gift, no matter the level, means the world to us. Together we can make a difference in the lives of artists – and through them, in our lives as well. Thank you for your support of TLC!

- Liz Engelman, Executive Director 

In 2021 former TLC board member Bernadette Christiansen established the Birch Fund as a legacy gift to TLC with the intention of subsidizing our individual artist residencies. Providing this level of financial support to artists is challenging – and it’s essential. 2025 Give to the Max Day gifts will help contribute to the growth of the Birch Fund. Click the tab at the top of this page entitled "From an Artist" to learn more about the artist who directly benefited from our 2024 Give to the Max Campaign!