A Tale of Two Lake Cities
Lake City, CO
When founder Laurel Justice began to identify a permanent home for Laurel Justice Retreats, she was approached by old friends in 2019, Robert and Ginny Burroughs of California, for advice on arts programming at a tourist lodge they were dreaming of purchasing in Lake City, CO. As their conversations unfolded, it became clear that a partnership could be forged in the overlap of their shared visions. The Inn at the Lake, nestled on beautiful Lake San Cristobal, was purchased in March of 2020. Laurel relocated in June to Lake City, CO. Navigating the shut-down and pandemic, the Burroughs, Laurel, and countless volunteers went to work designing a place that would welcome tourists and creatives for years to come. Renovations occurred, gallery space installed, business systems designed, more dreams were dreamed, musicians jammed around the fire pit, and lessons were learned. By fall of 2020, it was clear
that something big and beautiful was happening, and the team was hooked.
Lake City, SC
Being that the Inn is seasonal (May-October), Laurel began wondering if another locale could work in the off-season. Years of researching her home state, South Carolina, began to come into focus. A family friend, Harriett Green of the South Carolina Arts Commission, suggested that Laurel consider, coincidentally, Lake City, SC. A flurry of introductions and a site visit were made in December of 2020, making it quite clear that this community, with its extensive arts infrastructure was the ideal location to place the sister residency. After all, how could our team resist a town that has "Make Your Art" on it's water tower? The SC residency will launch Spring. '22. Eventually, each residency in each Lake City, will be able to host up to 12-18 artists at a time.