Irene Hartfield is a singer, songwriter, and keyboard player living in Ely, Minnesota. Irene worked as a musician in New York in its heyday, the 1970s and 80s. The Irene Hartfield Trio played some well-known watering holes in Manhattan: Jimmy Weston’s, Jilly’s, 8th Street Gallery, Red Onion, Buddy Rich’s Club, and the Grand Finale, being a few. Her group also played at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Sneaky Pete’s in Hollywood, Florida, and The Summit Club in Caracas, Venezuela. Irene also worked in the recording industry, playing and singing, and played with wonderful musician friends: Will Lee, Steve Gadd, Steve “Fonz” Gelfand, Arnie Wise, Jay Leonhardt, Stu Woods, and others. Irene worked on Holland America cruise lines for three years, sailing to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Irene also spent a summer playing a month each in three cities in Sweden, a highlight of her career.

Story Portage is a non-profit, centered in Ely, Minnesota, created to foster the art of personal narrative and to promote literacy and reading here in the Northwoods. Current and future projects include: Ely, Minnesota Chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets The Maud Hart Lovelace and Star of the North Children’s Choice Book Award Program Random Acts of Poetry VCC Visiting Writers Program   Visit our website and take a look at our current projects to learn more, and contact us if you’d like to be part of Story Portage’s future! Story Portage P.O. Box 286 Ely, MN 55731

The Boundary Waters Journal is a quarterly magazine designed to help you plan great wilderness trips to the BWCAW and Quetico. This quarterly magazine features trips stories from the BWCA and Quetico. Our writers and guides share detailed information and photos about their trips including fishing locations and techniques, camping tips, favorite camp sites, trip routes, seasonal information and more! Photo Credit: Gary Hamer radiantspiritgallery.com

From ethnic cooking classes to basket weaving, jewelry making, furniture building, photography, fabric arts, writing, painting and other arts, stained glass making, gardening, sustainable living, herbs and health, foraging, canoeing and canoe building, dances and music, there are classes for most every interest at Ely Folk School, conveniently located at the top of the hill in downtown Ely, Minnesota.

Ely Arts and Heritage Center, formerly known as Ely Greenstone Public Art, is a nonprofit arts and heritage organization in the Ely, Minnesota area, whose goal is the enhancement of life through art and to recognize the rich heritage of the area. Ely Arts and Heritage Center manages the historic Pioneer mine buildings for the city of Ely.

The Brandenburg Gallery showcases the work of Jim Brandenburg who has been National Geographic photographer for over 40 years. Jim Brandenburg is an award-winning nature photographer, filmmaker and philanthropist as well as a publisher of numerous best-sellers including Chased by the Light, Looking for the Summer and Brother Wolf.

Tofte Lake Center (TLC) is a non-profit organization that provides residencies for artists who crave dedicated time to work on their projects, for creatives who seek individual growth through guided workshops or retreats, for arts organizations that want to make time to re/focus on their goals or mission, for arts leaders to gather to exchange ideas with colleagues in their field. TLC is on a pristine lake near Ely, Minnesota, and adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We also offer host arts events, workshops, and yoga classes to the broader public. Visit our website for more information! https://www.toftelake.org/ Tofte Lake Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Take home a piece of Minnesota when you visit the Chris Perry Gallery! Showcasing beautiful fine art prints of northern lights, Minnesota landscapes, northern Minnesota wildlife and night photography! Fine art prints, frames handmade in Ely, cards, posters and more! Nature and landscape photography and handmade prints and frames by Chris Perry. Visit our gallery in downtown Ely. Open on busy weekends and always by appointment.