Lake Placid Institute Information

The Lake Placid Institute was formed twenty years ago with a mission to enhance the cultural life of Adirondack residents and visitors and to celebrate the human cultural heritage of the region. The organization aims to build an environment that fosters creativity and thought by bringing the talents of world-class artists, leaders, and thinkers to the Adirondacks. We develop and present innovative programs in the arts and humanities, often partnering with other organizations. We design these programs using the broadest definition of "arts" and "humanities", encompassing the visual and performing arts; language, literature and literacy; history and the social sciences; global studies; media studies and communication. We draw on local performance spaces for our presenting programs, using schools, libraries, hotels, galleries, government and nonprofit venues in the Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and other High Peaks area towns but, increasingly, now throughout the Adirondacks. We strive to serve as an incubator for ideas. Many of our best programs began with a "What if?", asked by a Board member, visitor, or supporter. We welcome proposals from individuals and organizations interested in working with us in a collaborative fashion.