The Warehouse Arts District Association is working to expand the arts in St. Petersburg.



"What we really want to do is create community and get those creative juices flowing," said WADA President Mark Aeling.



WADA has plans to transform some 50,000 square feet of warehouse space on the corner of 22nd Street S and 5th Avenue S into an arts enclave.



"What we want to do is bring artist studios online, into the community at below market rates, so that we can create a sustainable arts community for the city of St. Petersburg," said Aeling.



The 2.7 acre creative compound would house studio and gallery space and more.



"From larger studios for metal workers and wood workers to medium-sized studios for painters and print makers and mix-media artists to smaller studios for graphic designers and writers, people who just want to show their work," said Aeling.



Ceramic artist Wendy Durand is one of a handful of artists who has a studio in the area and is excited to have company.



"I think it’s fabulous," she said. "(But) one thing that happens to artists all the time is that we move into an area, we take over warehouses or blighted areas and then as it becomes an arts area, people want to move in there and our rents begin to go up to a point that becomes unaffordable."



Aeling is also looking to turn some of the space into a social area for artists and visitors, he says. Perhaps a restaurant, microbrewery or a tasting room.



WADA is a nonprofit, so it's relying on donations and grants to turn the renderings of the enclave into a reality.

