Seeley Lake Community Foundation Executive Director Claire Muller, Foundation Board President Kevin Wetherell and past President Carla Schade, surrounded by Foundation board members and building occupants, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the Foundation's new building June 15.
The painting of Seeley Lake's "Papa Smurf" welcomes visitors at the Seeley Lake Visitor's Center in the new Foundation building. It was donated to the Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce by Seeley Lake artist and Sole Tattoo owner Philip Lambert.
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation celebrated the grand opening of its new community space and non-profit center on Saturday, June 15.
"This began with great ambition and great goals," said Foundation Board President Kevin Wetherell before the ribbon cutting ceremony. "We didn't know if we could pull it off or not, we didn't know if people would be interested in supporting this (building) in a big way."
Nearly 50 people attended the event and ribbon cutting ceremony at the Foundation's new location at 3150 MT Highway 83, formerly Deer Country Quilts. Attendees were welcome to explore the freshly remodeled building while enjoying refreshments.
The building's formerly open floor plan with a loft has been remodeled to include six office spaces and a second story that is still under construction. The upstairs portion will include a conference room, which the in-house non-profits will be allowed to use.
Agencies currently in the building are the Foundation, Missoula Aging Services, Missoula County Weeds District and the Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. There are presently two vacant offices, interested tenants can contact the Foundation's Executive Director Claire Muller for more information at 406-677-3506 or cmuller@slcfmt.org.
"Our vision for this building is to create an exciting and inspiring local space where nonprofits are united to meet the common economic, social, cultural, and educational needs and aspirations of Seeley, Lake, Montana," wrote Muller in an email to the Pathfinder.
Though the building has undergone an intense remodel, the craftsman details are still intact and complemented by precise trim scoring done by Lake Country Builders. According to Wetherell, Lake Country Builders worked on the remodel at reduced rates for the Foundation. Despite the additional walls, the building retains its natural light with large windows and white walls.
The Foundation is looking forward to the storefront sign, which is expected to be installed soon, according to Wetherell. In addition to the sign, a bronze statue of a mountain man on a horse will be placed near the building. The Foundation's vision for the statue is to serve as a landmark to attract visitors to the building and visit the variety of local non-profits housed there. The Foundation has already received funding from nine donors to erect the statue, the 10th and final donor plaque will be auctioned at the Foundation's annual banquet in August.
The Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is housed in the east wing of the building and proudly displays a portrait of Elden Rammel, know to all the locals as "Papa Smurf," painted by local artist Phillip Lambert of Sole Tattoo. According to Lambert, he donated the painting to the Chamber of Commerce at the request of Hayhurst.
"Papa Smurf was the first person we met and befriended when we moved here," wrote Lambert in an email to the Pathfinder. "And at the age of 83 I believe he has been an inspiration, he is a fantastic character and an obvious choice of who to do a portrait of in this town to greet tourists when they go into the Chamber of Commerce."
"I was trying to find something to put on the walls and he offered to do the painting," said Hayhurst. "I had no idea what he was going to do."
Several locals commented on how the portrait accurately captured Papa Smurf's personality. The painting uses vivid colors and is lined with a fillet from a chainsaw and is sprinkled with sawdust and is contained within a burned frame. According to Lambert, the use of the portrait was intentional because people are drawn to faces and provides the opportunity to relate to the subject matter.
"The frame is burned to show the ever existing reality of forest fires we face living here," wrote Lambert. "The chainsaw fillet and sawdust is a nod to the logging industry as well as the occupation that has consumed Papa Smurf's life here in Seeley."
The portrait is done using a combination of oil pastels and colored pencils on a cardboard canvas. Lambert used cardboard to leave as a minimal footprint as possible, saying he wanted to embrace that nothing lasts forever, requiring visitors to enjoy it while it lasts.
The Foundation's new building may be open, but the group is still working to fundraise for several additional projects including ADA compliance, landscaping and a second bathroom.
Muller said, "There's room to grow and there's potential for new ideas to take birth here and for some really great things to happen."
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