From the Mines to the Stage: Ely Minnesota Arts History of Resilience and Creativity
- Ian Francis Lah
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Act I: The Industriousness of Ely
The industriousness of Ely has always been our signature. Our hands built this place, and they still do. We cut lumber, mined ore, raised children, and in the process created a town for dreamers.
We have always forged ahead through the hard times and the good, building not just an economy but a way of life. As former NLAA Executive Director Cecilia Rolando once said, “This community has always been an arts community. It started when the immigrants moved here to be workers in the mines. With them, they brought their music, dance, and theatre interests.”
The town was built on the spirit of immigrants, and that is worth remembering. They made sure Ely’s future included the arts. Cecilia also wrote, “Art was never decoration. It was daily life. It was what people did after the mine whistle blew.”
Early Ely had an opera house, and for more than a century, the Ely City Band and Ely Music and Drama Club carried that creative pulse forward.
Then, in the 1980s, as the mines went quiet, the community faced another test. A group of inspired locals gathered to ensure that what their parents and grandparents loved most about this place, the art, the music, the sense of belonging, would not fade. That is when the Northern Lakes Arts Association was born.
Like the generations before them, they understood that art does not just decorate a place. It defines it. It honors our heritage, sustains our spirit, and keeps Ely alive.
Act II: From an Empty Desk to a Living Legacy
“When I started, I had an empty desk and a phone. That was it,” remembers Cecilia Rolando.
Like any grassroots organization, NLAA began small. The budget was minimal, the space was borrowed from what is now Minnesota North College, Vermilion Campus, and the vision was held together by determination. Through a grant from AEOA, Cecilia began shaping what would one day become the Rural Arts Ecosystem that NLAA is known for today.
In those early days, it was about getting projects off the ground and finding funding wherever possible. “The theater people became active with the musical Working. It brought in our first cash,” she recalled. “We were fortunate to have the newly established Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust start releasing funds. At that time we were the only organization applying.”
From there, the work began to blossom. The same fertile ground that once grew Ely’s early arts and culture helped usher in a new era of creative life.
The local schools played a crucial role. They ensured that arts education and appreciation were part of every student’s experience, studying Rembrandt and Van Gogh, Shakespeare and Dickinson. Those classrooms were where many artistic journeys began. NLAA built on that foundation, expanding opportunities through workshops, performances, and community programs.
As time went on and arts funding in schools declined, NLAA’s work became even more vital. Cecilia stayed strong, fostering new arts groups, coordinating art shows, concerts, dance programs, and classes.
People say a little elbow grease helps the world shine, and that was Cecilia’s way. Her dedication and perseverance are why NLAA is still standing today, along with an army of eager volunteers. “We never knew if the next grant would come,” she said, “but someone always showed up with an idea, or a hammer, or a check.”
Act III: The Light Still Burns
Cecilia’s story reminds us that what she built was never meant to end with her retirement. It was meant to be passed on to the next generation, to continue more than 130 years of arts and culture in our community.
That same courage that began at an empty desk now lives in our rehearsals, workshops, and concerts that fill Ely with vibrant ideas and shared imagination.
As NLAA has grown over the last forty years, much has changed. The town has become smaller, the country more divided, and the little arts community at the end of the road has evolved into something that now sets us apart from our neighbors. That transformation did not happen overnight. It happened because people like you kept showing up, volunteering time, offering resources, attending performances, and giving what you could.
This legacy rests on the vision of those who came before us, who believed that the arts are not a luxury but a vital part of daily life—a beautiful thing that every person deserves access to.
Cecilia reminded us, “In times of upheaval like this, we must be vigilant. We cannot be complacent and assume this shall always be.” She also asked, “Do help out as much as you are able through participation, attendance, and donation.”
The light she tended still burns, steady and sure, passed from neighbor to neighbor, stage to stage, hand to hand.
The story of Ely’s arts isn’t finished. It’s still being written by the people who show up, lend a hand, and believe creativity belongs to everyone.
Join us—attend a show, volunteer, or make a gift that keeps the arts alive in Ely.
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