Saving the Home and Legacy of Pilar Pobil

If we miss this moment, Casa Pilar doesn't get a second chance.

Without bridge funding, my sister and I will have to sell Casa Pilar before the nonprofit is in place. This campaign exists to give us the time to preserve its future.

Casa Pilar is one of Utah's most beloved artistic landmarks, welcoming visitors into the colorful world created by Spanish-born artist Pilar Pobil.

Over the years, it has become far more than just a home. It's a place where art, beauty, creativity, and community inspire people of all ages.

For more than five decades, Pilar Pobil has been one of Utah's most recognizable artists. Her work is represented in countless public and private collections. In 2016, King Felipe VI of Spain awarded her the Order of Isabella the Catholic, one of Spain's highest civilian honors, recognizing her extraordinary lifetime contributions to expanding and promoting Spanish and Mallorcan culture, art, and history in the United States.

Why We're Asking Now

Today, we have a rare opportunity to preserve Casa Pilar for future generations. I am actively working with others to re-establish nonprofit status and build the organization that will make that possible. Without bridge funding, there will be mounting financial pressure to sell the property. Once a treasure like Casa Pilar is lost, it can never be recreated.

This campaign will provide the time and resources needed to preserve the house, protect Pilar's artwork and archives, continue public programming, and establish the nonprofit that will sustain Casa Pilar for generations to come.

Our campaign begins with a $50,000 first milestone as part of an overall $200,000 bridge-funding goal. This will allow us to maintain Casa Pilar and its programming while we establish the nonprofit status needed to secure its future.

The Story

When Pilar Pobil died a year and a half ago, my sister and I inherited not only a home, but also the enchanted world our mother spent decades creating inside it. Maggie lives in Spain, but I decided to remain in Salt Lake City, where I've spent the past year and a half caring for the house and gardens, preserving the artwork, expanding programming, and exploring ways to secure Casa Pilar's future.

Two things quickly became clear:

Why Casa Pilar Matters

For many years, people who loved Pilar and this home shared a dream: to preserve this remarkable place and ensure that it would continue inspiring future generations.

That dream also mattered deeply to Pilar. She wanted Casa Pilar to remain a place of beauty, creativity, generosity, and hospitality long after she was gone. The Pilar Pobil Legacy Foundation devoted years of effort toward that vision, and countless volunteers, supporters, artists, and friends gave their time, energy, and financial support to help make it possible.

Although the goal of preserving the house was not achieved during Pilar's lifetime, much was accomplished. The Foundation established an endowed scholarship in Pilar's name at the University of Utah and secured the Pilar Pobil Celebration Gallery at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, ensuring that her artistic legacy would continue to endure for generations to come.

An Illuminating Discovery

What nobody could fully know was what would happen to Casa Pilar after Pilar was gone. Would people still come? Would the house still matter?

The answer revealed itself almost immediately.

One spring morning, not long after Pilar's death, I hosted a tour for visitors attending a national ceramics conference. None of them had heard of Casa Pilar or were familiar with my mother's work. Yet, as they wandered through the house and gardens, they responded with wonder and delight. They watched videos of Pilar, asked countless questions about her life and art, lingered long after the tour was supposed to end, and several bought her book before leaving.

Later that evening, I happened to run into the group at a restaurant. They told me that visiting Casa Pilar had been the highlight of their entire conference.

That was when I had a profound realization. People weren't simply coming here to remember the past. Many were walking through these doors for the first time and falling in love with Pilar and her world. Her spirit was still alive in everything she'd created here.

One visitor told me, "Pilar is like the Frida Kahlo of Salt Lake City."

Since then, more than a thousand people have visited Casa Pilar to attend concerts, workshops, storytelling events, holiday markets, Avenues Open Studios, tours, and Art in Pilar's Garden.

What has emerged is far more than a preserved historic home. Casa Pilar is a living cultural space where art, creativity, beauty, and community continue to flourish.

My Role

One of the greatest surprises has been discovering that caring for my mother's legacy has become my own calling.

When I returned to Salt Lake during COVID to care for Pilar, I couldn't imagine what my future would look like. My focus was simply to make sure my mother was cared for and that her world remained intact. Pilar wanted to live and die in this house, and I was able to make sure that happened.

Only after her death was I able to turn my attention from caring for Pilar to caring for Casa Pilar's future.

As a musician, writer, and artist, I began creating new ways for people to experience Casa Pilar through music, storytelling, conversation, and shared creative experiences.

The more people walked through these doors, the more obvious it became that Casa Pilar's story wasn't even close to ending.

What Your Gift Will Do

This campaign is for bridge funding. Its purpose is simple: to buy the time needed to build a permanent nonprofit infrastructure that will secure Casa Pilar's future.

Your support will help fund:

Most importantly, your gift will help ensure that Casa Pilar continues to thrive while we build the foundation for its future.

Our Initial Fundraising Goal

Our overall goal is to raise $200,000, which will enable us to maintain the property and programming for approximately two years while establishing the nonprofit needed to secure Casa Pilar's future.

We have chosen to begin with a $50,000 first milestone so we can celebrate meaningful progress as we move toward our larger goal.

Each milestone brings us closer to preserving this extraordinary place for generations to come.

A Rare Opportunity

Communities often recognize the importance of special places only after they have disappeared.

Over the past year, I have researched artist homes that were preserved and others that were lost forever. Too often, those losses make headlines only after it is tragically too late to do anything about them.

The communities we admire most understand that preserving places of creativity and cultural significance is not a luxury. It is part of what makes a city vibrant, distinctive, and alive. It is exactly what the world is craving at a time when so many forces are pulling us away from what is tangible and alive.

My sister and I know we could simply sell Casa Pilar, as happens with so many artist homes after their creator is gone. Instead, we've chosen the more difficult path of carrying forward our mother's vision by giving this remarkable place the chance to become a permanent cultural home for our community. That choice takes time and resources, and it requires the support of people who believe places like this are worth preserving.

When people visit Casa Pilar, they leave transformed. They feel the incredible energy and fearlessness of this tiny Spanish woman who came to a strange city in a strange land and created a world of magic and color with an open heart and open doors. They leave believing that perhaps they, too, can create a more beautiful world.

If Casa Pilar has touched your life, inspired your creativity, connected you to others, or helped you see the world a little differently, or if you've treasured an artist's home, a historic garden, or another place that helps tell the story of a community, I hope you'll help us secure its future.

Together, we can ensure that Casa Pilar continues to welcome, inspire, and bring people together for generations to come.