REGINA – For the first time ever, the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) has hired an artist in residence to help bring new life to the area.
Regina-based artist Amber Phelps Bondaroff has been hired to best make use of underutilized areas like alleyways through artistic programming.
“How we can sort of revitalize those areas, bring some creative work into those spaces and also engage people in using the spaces and viewing the spaces in new ways,” she explained.
Bondaroff spent a portion of Tuesday with Downtown BID executive director Judith Veresuk looking for potential studio spaces.
Part of the reason Bondaroff was hired was her experience in putting together outdoor, winter installations. The BID hopes this experience can help draw more people downtown in the frigid months.
“So if we can bring people to come in and view that art they create a space that other folks feel safe in, that they want to be in, and when businesses start seeing that’s where they either chose to expand or relocate too,” said Veresuk.
Bondaroff began her new role at the start of January. The first three months of the residency are devoted to planning and discussing ideas with businesses and community groups.
One of the ideas they are working on are more events in City Square Plaza and the Scarth Street Mall during the winter months.
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