Artists breathe new life into Regina warehouse

A once abandoned warehouse on Broad Street is getting a new lease on life, thanks to a group of Regina artists.

It’s a collaboration called The Arts – a 6,500 square-foot room right next to the Centennial Market in the old Sears outlet store.

“Plain white walls, plain white pillars. It was very drab,” said market manager Chrysta Garner, as she described what the room used to look like. “Just like a building that had closed. This area needed some uplifting.”

The uplifting came when artists Bruno Hernani and Roberto Lopez Lopez approached Garner to use the space.

It took about a month to transform the lifeless room to the vibrant art gallery that’s now there. Hernani and Lopez Lopez collaborated with local artists, who were given a paint brush and full creative freedom to beautify a portion of the room.

Cristian Barreno, one of the visual artists who helped recreate the space, marked one of the pillars with a colourful lizard.

Barreno, who moved to Canada from Guatemala 15 years ago, says he draws inspiration from his culture and the people he’s met during his time here.

“We connect our ideas, we inspire each other and we always encourage each other to grow our art and evolve as artists,” said visual artist Cristian Barreno.

Hernani and Lopez Lopez have big dreams for The Arts. The two hope to expand the space to include vendors, workshops, art studios and galleries.

“Everyone has been like a big, big family and they are supporting each other so that’s very inspiring,” said Hernani. “It’s kind of like magic for the community.”

The Centennial Market is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.