Affordable Artist Lodging

For nearly 80 years, the Grand Marais Art Colony has welcomed artists to the North Shore to learn, experiment, and build lasting creative connections. Today, we have an extraordinary opportunity to purchase Ella’s Inn, the historic former parsonage that once served St. John’s Catholic Church, the current home of our oldest studio, Founders Hall. This neighboring property represents more than additional square footage; it represents stability, accessibility, and the future of our mission.

Access to lodging is one of the most practical barriers facing visiting artists and students. By offering below-market-rate housing, we can open our doors wider to emerging artists, rural participants, young creatives, and those for whom the full cost of travel can feel out of reach. Affordable housing onsite allows artists-in-residence and students to be fully immersed in the creative environment. The sharing of meals, ideas, and comradery often become the most meaningful part of the artistic process and it strengthens not only one’s individual practice, but the fabric of our entire culture.

This investment also reflects thoughtful stewardship. The property will remain on the municipal tax base, contributing to the local economy, and will also serve to reinforce the Art Colony’s long-standing partnerships throughout our distinctive North Shore home. Most importantly, it safeguards our ability to serve artists for decades to come at a time when arts funding and creative opportunities face increasing uncertainty.

When you support this campaign, you are not simply helping us acquire a building. You are helping secure affordable access to the arts, deepen community connections, and ensure that the next generation of Minnesota artists finds inspiration and belonging here on Minnesota’s North Shore. Your investment today becomes part of a legacy that will shape our creative community far into the future.

In 1947 Birney Quick had a brainchild. The wave of artist colonies and communities had made its way from Europe in the late 1800s to the east coast of the United States in the early 1900s. And after visiting a number of these communities, Birney was convinced that the North Shore would be a perfect spot to establish one. As a professor at the Minnesota School of Art (now Minneapolis College of Art and Design) Birney worked with the institution to launch the first Outdoor School of Painting in Grand Marais, an eight-week summer session. 

The Art Colony’s first “home” was in the wilds of Grand Marais and in the community itself. A very fitting start for a community of artists. 

After a brief interlude to Red Wing, the Art Colony made its return to the North Shore when the City of Grand Marais wrote to the Minneapolis School of Art and asked them to come back to Grand Marais; a vote of confidence that the community wholeheartedly supported this endeavor. The summer art school reopened in Grand Marais in 1952, using the top floor of old City Hall, and the program was renamed the Town Hall Art Colony. 

The Art Colony’s next evolution of home came in 1963, when our co-founders, Birney Quick and Byron Bradley, went in together to purchase the St. John’s Catholic Church building, as the congregation moved locations. What has been lovingly called Founders Hall by the Art Colony community has been our steady home for 62 years. Thousands of students have left their art markings on the floor and walls of this building and considered it a creative home. 

From there, the Art Colony was able to build a second studio building in 2005, which allowed us to expand our programming and have dedicated office space and community access to medium-specific studios and equipment; a rare opportunity in a sparsely populated wilderness area.

June of 2019 was the next stage of home ownership, when the Art Colony purchased the former Arrowhead / North Shore Pharmacy and Viking Haus, two buildings right on Highway 61 adjacent to the downtown business district. This space increased our visitor traffic by more than 300%, and our footprint by 60%, allowing us to expand our studios and launch a full gallery store as well as a dedicated exhibition space. This space has also served as an essential community gathering space for over 600 community members during private events, such as the Violence Prevention Center’s candlelight vigil, the Dark Skies Festival, and Cook County Care Partners events.  

And now, it is our pleasure to announce that we have signed a purchase agreement with dear friends Lori and Terry Backlund, to purchase Ella’s Inn. Ella’s has operated as a six-room Inn for the past two decades and is directly adjacent to our original building, Founders Hall. In fact, Ella’s was originally built in 1936 as the rectory for the Catholic Church. As we approach our 80th year of operation, we are delighted to share that we are launching a capital campaign to close on this property May of 2026.

Will you partner with us to continue offering affordable artist lodging on the North Shore? Any size gift helps get us to our goal to eliminate barriers to access and give artists resources, space and time to do what they do best.

Gratefully,

The Grand Marais Art Colony Crew