Idaho Art Lab secures down payment for ‘forever home’

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho Art Lab has secured a $70,000 down payment to purchase its facility.

"It was like the bottom of the ninth and we were like 'what are we going to do… this is not working'," Kara Hidalgo.

Kara and Daniel Hidalgo started a capital campaign at the end of April because they were in danger of losing the building the non-profit had operated out of for over a decade. The previous owners, Steven and Sherry Browning, decided to sell, but had been a big supporter of the Idaho Art Lab. They even took the property off the market ten years ago to help the Hildagos get established in the community. The Brownings granted the Hidalgos a "right of first refusal" on their lease if they were able to raise enough funds by May 31.

"We just had an epiphany, why don't we just get people together to help us with this loan," Kara said.

Just days before their deadline, the non-profit was able to get stakeholders that live over three-thousand miles apart to contribute to the $70,000 needed for a down payment.

"What is really great and what we have learned is that not only do the people of St. Anthony care about the Idaho Art Lab, but also people outside of St. Anthony care about what's going on in the upper valley, Daniel said. "Those contributions are what helped us reach that goal."

The Hidalgos say this is just the beginning. For the past ten years, the Idaho Art Lab has become a centerpiece for art and art education throughout the region. But now the non-profit has a $350,000 mortgage.

"What we've managed to do is just buy time… we haven't bought the building." Kara said. "As long as donations are going to that cause, we're not able to use it for programming. To get back to the level that we were at… we need to have the building purchase behind us."

For more information on the Idaho Art Lab and it's campaign, click here.