ART INCLUDES!

  We need TLC more than ever now-- a place to connect with nature and our deeper selves in order to return to the larger society with new ideas that might just change the world. TLC provides a truly unique retreat experience because of its emphasis on community, connection, and kindness.     - Joanna Garner, playwright, musician, Director of Exhibition Narrative, Meow Wolf, Santa Fe

At the heart of TLC we believe that ART INCLUDES - art includes artists of all races, genders, ages, and economic backgrounds. The events of this year catalyzed our commitment to walk our talk, and in response, TLC chose to intentionally take a financial hit because a leap was called for - a leap towards fulfilling our vision of 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.

Due to Covid-19, our TLC Board of Directors carefully considered opening, and ultimately decided to go forward with the second half of our season to provide a Covid-safe experience to artists who needed time in nature and community more than ever. Many of our artists who had paid for 2020 residencies understandably chose to defer their time at the lake to 2021, leaving us with available cabins. We took the leap, and opened these cabins at no cost to 23 Black artists and arts activists affected by the violence that occurred in the Chicago-Lake Street neighborhoods in Minneapolis. We were able to host their children and families as well, making the residency weeks truly an intergenerational experience and broadening and deepening our definition of community.

When you support a TLC residency, it isn’t just about providing artists with a room with a view. Our residencies include intangibles that defy a price tag: immersion in the environment - in Minnesota’s northwoods at the edge of a pristine clear-water lake; connection to a diverse, supportive community of artists; curated conversations that deepen each artist’s experience and foster cross-pollination; the expertise of dramaturg Liz Engelman, engaging one-on-one with the artists and their work, to name a few.

TLC wants to make such holistic and fully-funded residency experiences available to all artists, and to eliminate as many barriers to access as possible. Our ART INCLUDES campaign asks for your support to provide 2 fully-funded week-long residencies for BIPOC artists from Minnesota. This costs $3000. (NEWS! We were so excited to meet our $3000 goal early that the Board added another match to get us to a third residency!)

Your investment strengthens our shared values: that art is essential, art is woven into the fabric of a healthy, vibrant Democracy and the core tenet that ART INCLUDES - ALL.

Thank You!