HELENA — After renting their building for more than 26 years, the Clay Arts Guild of Helena purchased their workshop by the airport.
“Being able to own the building ourselves locally is just a godsend,” said member Andrea Vickory, who’s been a member for almost 20 years.
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It’s something they had in mind for years—so when the landlords approached them earlier this year, ready to sell, they jumped on the opportunity.
They started fundraising and reached their goal of $220,000 for a down payment…enough to secure the building and keep the organization rolling.
“Just to have the feeling of permanency and that we're not going to lose our space and what we've spent so many years building,” Vickory said.
With over 100 members and a waitlist with more than 200, the guild has a lot of opportunities for growth.
“We're gonna be able to have classes now and be able to expand, hopefully have new members,” said member Miranda Carson.
The purchase couldn’t have gone through without the support of previous building owners Dean and Arlette Randash. They believed the guild to have a well-run operation, liked their vision for the future, and wanted them to succeed, saying, “You just couldn’t work with better people”.
‘We greatly appreciate their support in the arts, and also giving us the opportunity to move forward with this building before they put it on the market,” said board member Mike Dyrdahl.
You can continue to support the guild by visiting their holiday store or donating online.
