Today, you can be part of the change taking root on the land.
Help Build Canada’s First Indigenous-Led, Land-Based Arts Studio Complex
A place to welcome and host local to global Indigenous Peoples, stories, and expressions…
LodgePole Arts Alliance (LPAA) is leading a transformative initiative to create Canada’s first publicly accessible, Indigenous-owned, operated, programmed, and animated land-based arts studio complex.
The property we wish to acquire is the historic Lemoine Point Farm in the Collins Bay region of Ka’tarohkwi/City of Kingston, known archaeologically for long-term occupation by Indigenous ancestors.
The farm is an 82-acre ecological jewel adjacent to the Lemoine Point Conservation Area, with one kilometer of natural Lake Ontario shoreline, extensive woodlands, and approximately 50 acres of pasture. On the land are two 150+ year-old stone buildings, a deteriorating barn, and nine additional outbuildings.
A perfect footprint to reinvigorate Indigenous creative arts on the landscape in the region and beyond.
Choosing Ka’tarohkwi and the County of Frontenac location was not accidental. Long before European settlement, the land was home to Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe Peoples who lived in deep connection with its forests, fields, and marshlands.
It is part of the Frontenac biosphere, from its northern inland lakes and waterways to the Thousand Islands at the western end of the St. Lawrence River. The region has been a critical geographic juncture of trade, commerce, and social celebrations for millennia, with a long legacy of shared occupation between the Huron-Wendat, Onkwe’honwe (Haudenosaunee), and Anishinabek Confederacies.
A place for inspiration, expression, and belonging…
Since the property’s owner Mary Fraser died in 2022 the future has been uncertain for this land. Recently, the Ka’tarohkwi/City of Kingston purchased the Lemoine Point Farm property for $12 million in a “court-approved settlement” reached after years of confidential negotiations.
Our vision is to create a space where the Land itself becomes part of the creative process. We are eager to work with the Ka’tarohkwi/City of Kingston and a range of community partners to preserve this natural landscape and its beauty for all Kingstonian’s, visitors, and partners alike.
As you consider how you want to make a difference, we invite you to be part of reclaiming and re-imagining this land as a living space for Indigenous artists, knowledge keepers, and conservation-led stewardship.
Indigenous Self-Determination in Action
At the heart of this project is the ability for Indigenous artists, organizations, and knowledge keepers to shape their own creative futures. The studio complex empowers First Nations, Inuit, and Métis creatives to determine what they create, how they share knowledge, and how they build sustainable artistic livelihoods, rooted in culture, guided by community, and supported by the land.
LodgePole’s vision is organized around a central lodge designed for visiting, creating, teaching, performing, and feasting. The landscape hosting our creative center will be an incubation space for artists from all genres. Whether they are a playwright, performer, dancer, sculptor, writer, or work in any of a myriad other artistic practices, artists will find a safe, welcoming space to develop their skills and build collaborations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.
Programming That Nurtures Creativity, Culture & Community
Your support will bring to life a wide spectrum of interconnected programs, including:
- Visual and performance arts
- Land-based learning
- Environmental and green energy initiatives
- Creative residencies
- Cultural gatherings and knowledge sharing
- Workshops and festivals
- Agricultural and wild harvesting activities
- Conservation programs
- Intergenerational learning, connecting youth, Elders, and community members
These programs ensure that Indigenous knowledge, creativity, and cultural practice continue to grow, and are passed forward with purpose.
Living Cultural Stewardship
A federally designated Category A Museum will form part of the centre, creating a culturally grounded home for the repatriation and stewardship of Indigenous ancestors (artifacts) currently held in external institutions. Integrated with the artistic and land-based programming, the museum will function as a living space where ancestral presence informs contemporary creation, and Indigenous governance guides ethical care and interpretation.
Honouring the Land
This project is deeply ecological.
LodgePole aims to create partnerships with conservation and environmental land-based organizations, artists, and arts groups across the county to activate this land year-round, supporting creative expression, land-based learning, ecological restoration, reigniting land-based rewilding and traditional sustainable land rejuvenation practices.
Your support will strengthen work that:
- Restores original ecologies
- Promotes food sovereignty and sustainable land stewardship
- Demonstrates the natural harmony between art, culture, and environment
Indigenous planners, architects, engineers, and knowledge holders will guide the site’s phased development embedding sustainable design, green energy systems, and traditional land stewardship practices into its foundation.
It is a living example of how Indigenous knowledge guides ecological restoration and community wellbeing.
Your Gift Builds the Future
By donating today, you are investing in:
A permanent home for Indigenous creativity
A gathering place for learning, reflection, and celebration
A space for creativity, leadership, and innovation
A national model
that will inspire communities across Canada