Our Programs: Ely’s Rural Arts Ecosystem
Northern Lakes Arts Association sustains a Rural Arts Ecosystem in Ely, MN. Our programs are organized into three pillars that work together to inspire, educate, and connect. Mainstage Productions showcase artistic excellence, the Northern Lakes Arts Academy cultivates creativity through education, and Community Arts & Events make the arts accessible and inclusive throughout our region.
Together, these three pillars form a living network of creativity, ensuring that in a rural place like Ely, the arts are not a luxury, but a vital part of community life.
MAINSTAGE
Our productions anchor the ecosystem. Each season, NLAA brings professional-quality theater, concerts, and cultural performances to Ely. From Broadway in the Boundary Waters to summer musicals at Ely’s Historic State Theater, these mainstage events showcase artistic excellence and bring national and local artists together on the same stage.
NORTHERN LAKES
ARTS ACADEMY
The Academy is where new growth begins. Through youth camps, adult intensives, writing workshops, and bi-monthly courses, the Academy nurtures creative confidence and hands-on practice. Every class connects learners back into the broader ecosystem — preparing young performers for mainstage roles, giving adults new creative tools, and keeping the arts rooted in daily life.
COMMUNITY ARTS AND EVENTS
The ecosystem extends into every corner of our community. Free concerts in Whiteside Park, Ely’s Got Talent, Call of the Wild Poetry Nights, and cultural partnerships ensure that art is accessible to everyone. These events build belonging, invite participation, and remind us that in rural places, the arts flourish only when they are shared.
