Arts & Entertainment

In spite of being at "the end of the road," Ely abounds with activities to nurture the artistic soul: from classical music concerts to blues festivals to live street music to community theater to art walks and murals to storytellers to arts festivals.

Because of the immigrant background of many Ely residents, interest in music, literature, theater, art and dance has traditionally been incorporated into private and public life, including the local school system through support from the iron ore mines. (Ely had the first high school band in the state of Minnesota.)

There are recording studios, dance studios, voice teachers, instrumental teachers, graphic artists, web designers, writers, book publishers, performing musicians, entrepreneurs of all types in the arts in Ely. Many have come to live in a friendly community with a lower overhead and less stress. How about you?

Festivals and Special Events

Ely Winter Festival snow sculpture

• Summer: Tuesday Night Live - Several merchants sponsor live music in or outside their establishments on Tuesday evenings for several weeks during the summer.
  
• July: Blueberry Arts Festival - Local and visiting artisans display their crafts and musicians play as Ely opens its doors to the largest crowds of the year. Blueberries are the star, but other foods are available for this three-day celebration.
  
• August: Boundary Waters Blues Festival - Nationally recognized blues artists play in a natural setting for this two-day celebration.
• September: Harvest Moon Festival - arts, crafts, music, and ethnic foods.
  
• January: Fun Run Snowmobile Event raising money for the snowmobile trails in and around Ely, Babbitt, and Tower features local celebrity and NFL mascot Joe “Ragnar” Juranitch.
• February: Ely Winter Festival (previously Voyageur Winter Festival) - Ely comes alive with snow sculptures, musical jams, the Ely ArtWalk, Mukluk Ball dance, and many other events.

Arts Organizations

• Northern Lake Arts Association - promoting arts in the community including art, dance, literary arts, music, theater. Sponsors community plays, several musical concerts, children's theater, writers' reads and artists' gatherings, as well as other arts events throughout the year.
• Ely Greenstone Public Art Committee - promotes beautification of public areas; projects include murals on Ely buildings, Whiteside Park sculpture, Art Camp, and Art Walls at Harvest Moon Festival.
• Ely Art Walk - during the Ely Winter festival, store windows shine with local arts exhibitions.

BOUNDARY WATERS LOONS by Jim Brandenburg

• Ely Community Concert Association - 4 concerts with high level performers/reciprocity with Virginia and Hibbing Associations making possible 12-13 concerts per year
• Ely City Band
• Ely Community Resource's Art Auction in April
• Ely History Nights
• Henry's Wives
• Youth Dance Program
• Ely Weavers Guild
• Ely Music & Drama Club
• NorthCountry Singers - area community choir does 1-2 concerts per year
• Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust - In the late 80s, it was discovered that a painting by well-known American impressionist Frederick Frieseke had been hanging in the Ely Public Library for 50 years. The City of Ely sold the painting for $510,000 to a New York buyer, and with the funds, created the Donald G. Gardner Trust, named after the painting's donor, to insure continued support for the arts and library.  The Trust helps support the Ely Winter Festival, the Ely ArtWalk, and other local arts events.
  

Part of a wall mural in Ely by Bob Cary

Venues

• Ely Schools Washington Auditorium (900 seats)
• Vermilion Community College Fine Arts theater (185 seats)
• Ely Community Center Auditorium
• City Outdoor Band Shell (Whiteside Park)
  

Area Artists

Ely is home to many artists. Some of the most well-known include:

• Jim Brandenburg - photographer extraordinaire has gallery in Ely
• Bob Cary - late writer and artist whose murals grace several Ely walls

An exhibit in the  International Wolf Center

Museums and Places of Unique Interest

• International Wolf Center
• The North American Bear Center
• Vermilion Interpretive Center
• Dorothy Molter Museum
• Ely-Winton Historical Society Museum
  (located in the Vermillion Community College)
  

Libraries

• Ely Public Library (Arrowhead Library System)
• Three school libraries