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The streets of Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood turned into a giant outdoor gallery Saturday as artists filled the annual Cathedral Village Arts Festival street fair with colour, creativity and deeply personal stories.
The 35th edition of the festival carried the theme “A story worth telling,” something that resonated strongly with many of the artists lining the street fair.
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From stained glass and pottery to live street art, creators said their work reflected not only their artistic styles, but the experiences and passions that shaped them.
Glass artist Kate Malagride poses at her booth during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival in Regina on Saturday. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
For Regina glass artist Kate Malagride, that story started when she was just 10 years old.
“Actually I started doing stained glass when I was 10,” Malagride said. “My parents signed me up at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre for a class, and I just fell in love with it.”
Nearly two decades later, Malagride has turned that childhood hobby into a career, creating stained-glass and fused-glass art while also teaching classes out of her home studio.
“This will be my third year at the arts festival,” she said. “I really love it. If nothing else, it’s a great networking opportunity and just a chance to hang out with community.”
Stained glass creations by Regina artist Kate Malagride were displayed during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival on Saturday. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Malagride said she enjoys challenging the traditional image many people have of stained glass.
“You typically see it in churches and stuff like that; and no shade to that, they’re beautiful,” she said. “But I think it’s really cool to do a modern twist and to have a more tangible piece of art that you can actually take home with you.”
A self-described fan of comics, cartoons and video games, Malagride said some of her favourite creations lean into pop culture and nostalgia.
“If I was to pick a favourite, it would be anything nerdy,” she said. “I really like recreating things that I love from comics, or cartoons and video games.”
Potter Aaron Brusso of Aidan Amina Pottery showcased his handmade ceramics and quirky gnomes at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
A few booths away, potter Aaron Brusso was drawing attention with his brightly coloured mugs, luminaries and quirky handmade gnomes.
Brusso, who runs Aiden Amina Pottery, said his pottery journey began during the pandemic as a creative side project while continuing to work full-time as a hairstylist.
“When I first started, I was actually terrible, because pottery is extremely hard,” Brusso said with a laugh. “I thought I was going to make a vase and a mug, and I came away with a shot glass and an ashtray.”
But the challenge pushed him to improve.
“I said, ‘Heck, I’m going to be good at this,’ and I put hours and hours of work into it, and here we are now,” he said.
Brusso said pottery allows him to turn simple materials into something meaningful and functional.
“You take a little bit of mud and a little bit of chemicals and a little bit of glazed stuff and apply heat, and you get a thing,” he said. “It’s really fascinating that you can just start from scratch and make something very usable and functional that also brings other people joy.”
Handmade pottery pieces created by Aaron Brusso of Aidan Amina Pottery were showcased at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
His gnomes have become some of his most recognizable creations.
“Everybody loves a little gnome,” he said. “Each of them have their little personalities. You point the feet in and they look a little shy, you point the feet out and they look a little lazy.”
Artist Ingrid Van Opstal-Tamez worked on a live aerosol painting during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival street fair in Regina. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Meanwhile, artist Ingrid Van Opstal-Tamez spent the day creating live street art with spray paint, drawing crowds curious to watch the picture come together in real time.
Van Opstal-Tamez said live public painting still feels relatively rare in Saskatchewan compared to larger cities.
“I think it’s important to bring to people’s attention that street art can be fine art and can be included in events like this,” she said.
“People really enjoy being able to watch street artists work. You don’t typically get to see a lot of that, especially in Saskatchewan.”
Like many artists at the festival, Van Opstal-Tamez said her creative roots began in childhood before life temporarily pulled her away from art.
“I’ve always loved drawing and painting since I was a kid,” she said. “The real world came in, and it’s like, okay, go to school for something entirely different.”
She eventually returned to art after moving back to Saskatchewan from British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I really thought it was important for me to get back into creation mode when everyone was locked down,” she said.
Her piece at Cathedral Village focused on monarch butterflies and native plants, themes inspired by her love of wildlife and local ecology.
“I’m a wildlife artist predominantly, so I like to include the local ecology, flora and fauna that are relevant to the area that I’m painting,” she said.
Throughout the day, festivalgoers stopped to ask questions, watch artists work and hear the stories behind the creations on display.
For Van Opstal-Tamez, that connection between artist and audience is one of the most meaningful parts of events like Cathedral Village.
“I just love how art is universal and it brings people together,” she said. “I think that’s what the world needs right now more than anything.”
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