Support Our 2024 Programming

Dear Friends of the Art Colony,

Those of us that call Cook County home and vacation here know that it is a truly special place to live and visit. From June through October, we welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors who share that same appreciation. With the seasonal ebb and flow of local patronage, businesses and nonprofits like the Art Colony tend to offer more business and programming in the summer season. Here at the Art Colony, we seek to serve our mission of fostering the exploratory growth and experimental power of contemporary artists by expanding and deepening the programming that we offer to artists near and far through-out the year, with a particular focus on serving local artists in the winter and spring. To better serve that mission and increase access for artists, we expanded our footprint by 60 percent with the purchase of the old pharmacy building on Highway 61. That added 5 working studios to our campus, increasing the classes and residencies that we are able to offer year-round. 

As we look to next year and all the possibilities for empowering artists, we are turning to you, our arts community. The Art Colony is  a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and we rely on the generosity and support of our donor-members to sustain our operations throughout the year, particularly as our operations have increased. As said before, the seasonality of business patronage in Cook County means that operations are limited without the support of donor-members and sustaining membership is crucial to our fundraising goal as it is income that we can regularly count on. Please consider becoming a sustaining member today; our board of directors will match our donations received up to $1,500.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Art Colony Crew 

More About Us:

We Believe

1. Artistic expression connects us with our internal and external landscapes

2. Artists need time, space, and uninterrupted focus to create work

3. Mentorship and guidance are critical for all stages of creative development

4. Dialogue enhances the artistic process and develops shared understanding

5. Connecting through the arts builds healthy and resilient communities

What We Do

We offer classes in ceramics, drawing, literary arts, mixed-media, painting, printmaking, sculpture and more. We foster the exploratory growth and experimental power of contemporary artists of every caliber through self-guided and juried residencies, public exhibitions and engagement opportunities such as artist talks. Our two signature events are the Grand Marais Arts Festival, held every July, and the North Shore Readers and Writers Festival, held every other year.