POCATELLO — Back in the summer of 2023, the Pocatello Art Center had a problem.

The roof was leaking. Water was seeping into the three upstairs apartments above their location at 444 North Main Street, and it was a situation that required quick action.

Unfortunately for Pocatello Art Center board members, they had just spent almost all their fund money refurbishing the upstairs apartments and found themselves without the funds to pay for an expensive roof repair.

For a nonprofit art center that offers affordable classes and workshops and has been a gathering hub for artists to share their work and love for art for the past 40 years, it was a troubling issue.

“In June we started a campaign to raise the money to fix the roof,” explained volunteer fundraiser and board member Jennifer Fisher. “Lots of different people came forward from various areas, some gave large contributions and others small. This wide-spread generosity exemplifies the community’s commitment to arts in our region.”

In addition to the welcome donations from the community, two local individuals who would make sizable contributions also stepped up.

One was Denis Yost, a Pocatello resident whose three sisters were at that time having a mural painted in their honor in Historic Downtown Pocatello.

The other individual was award-winning, modern impressionistic painter Torgesen Murdock.

“What happened was Denis came to the art center and said, ‘You know, I’ve been wanting to have a painting done of my sisters. Do you have an artist that might be willing to do one for me? I could pay the artist and make a donation to fix the roof,’” explained Fisher. “We reached out to Torgesen Murdock and asked if she would be willing to do a portrait of the sisters. As a talented artist and supporter of the art center, she happily agreed. She also generously offered to donate her entire commission back to the art center to contribute toward fixing the roof. Their collaboration resulted in a mutually beneficial partnership…a great marriage of creativity and philanthropy.”

It was also an outstanding story that Fisher knew needed to be told. Yost’s three sisters — Faye, Naida and Ruth — would be honored that next month after local artist Nick Hottmann designed and painted a mural dedicated to their memory on the side of Lookout Point’s Downtown Center.

The three Yost sisters have since passed away, but Yost wanted them and their contributions to women’s sports in Pocatello to be remembered and thus the colorful mural depicting female athletes surrounded by the words “Let’s Play, Pocatello” was born.

To further the memories of his sisters, Yost wanted a painting of them to be created, and when he heard of the Pocatello Art Center’s dilemma with a leaking roof, he thought it’d be beneficial for everyone involved.

The fact that it was Murdock, a local whose work has won both national and international awards, who would offer to paint the portrait was an opportunity of a lifetime.

“This artist is world famous,” said Yost. “She lives in Pocatello. You can’t believe how good she is. I left Pocatello 55 years ago and just came back and so I’ve seen a lot of really good artists but she’s as good as anybody in the country.”

Using a black-and-white picture taken by Ruth as a reference, Murdock painted a colorful oil portrait of Faye and Naida in their youth and donated the commission to the “Repair the Roof” campaign. It was recently unveiled during the Historic Downtown Pocatello art walk. It sits in an intricate gold-colored frame and will hang in the home of Yost’s niece, Laurie Peters. Yost and Ruth’s husband, Don Ashcroft, contributed to the campaign in gratitude towards Murdock’s work and for recognizing the memory of the three Yost sisters.

“My sisters were just fantastic athletes,” said Yost. “When I started grade school and was in first grade, Ruth was in the sixth (grade), and when the boys chose their baseball teams (at recess) they chose her first because she was a better pitcher than any boy.”

To honor Ruth, Yost also commissioned a portrait of her to be created, which local artist Bob Beason took on and painted. Beason, a graphic designer, artist and retired Pocatello High School art teacher, now teaches weekly classes at the art center and is “an exceptionally talented art teacher and artist, renowned for his creative prowess and passion for nurturing artistic talent,” Fisher said.

Beason’s painting of Ruth will hang in the home of the Ashcroft family, and displays Ruth’s many talents and hobbies she loved doing over her lifetime.

Yost’s, Ashcroft’s, and Murdock’s contributions to the campaign along with the numerous other donations from community members was enough to fix the center’s leaking roof. Yet the silver lining — or gold framing — of the situation showed that among the art community there are plenty of individuals willing to step up to ensure the arts, and all the emotions and memories the arts capture, are around for many more years to come.

“With the support of our members and others in the community the Pocatello Art Center is flourishing, making it a hub of creativity and community engagement — a true win-win for all involved,” said Fisher.

Winter hours for the Pocatello Art Center are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday. For more information about the Pocatello Art Center, visit pocatelloartcenter.org.