New building owners keep art gallery going

For six years now, Kathy Altman has been a part of the Sunflower Art Gallery cooperative. Her stained-glass artwork is proudly displayed alongside the other locally made pieces in the Thompson Falls gallery. When the building the co-op resides in went up for sale, Kathy and her husband Joe decided to jump at the opportunity to own a conducive piece of real estate. However, their main goal was to keep the Sunflower Art Gallery open for the artists. "This is not a 'for profit' endeavor. This is a place to put a roof over the artists' heads," Joe stated.

According to Kathy, "nothing is really changing from the previous owners." The Sunflower Art Gallery still remains a co-op of artists; Kathy and her husband have taken on the role of the landlords. The only changes they plan on making, are to the building itself. "We're basically going to fix everything that is going south. It's amazing that this building is still standing for how old it is," Joe said.

Kathy also noted they are looking for a commercial business to rent the downstairs of the building. It is currently undergoing a facelift right now. As far as the rest of the renovations go, the new owners have an ongoing list of what needs to be fixed. The foundation has a crack in it, the electrical and plumbing needs to be worked on, and the building needs to get up to code. "It's a 120-year-old building, this is to be expected. The top two floors, where the gallery is, have kept up nicely," Kathy said.

When it comes to the future of the Sunflower Art Gallery, the Altmans would be more than happy to see the success of the co-op continue. Kathy stated, "maybe down the road, I'd like to see a profit; but what I do want to see, is for the gallery to flourish."

There are currently 18 artists in the gallery who display their work. The Altmans are looking for more artists to join the co-op.

Any artists who are interested in an opportunity to join the co-op, Kathy says it's best to stop in and talk to someone in person.