Historic Winnipeg church converted into arts venue

Shoppers browse through goods during a vintage sale at the Valiant Theatre in Winnipeg on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (Harrison Shin/CTV News Winnipeg)

A century-old church in the city’s core is being transformed into a vibrant arts venue.

Kelly Hughes, artistic director of the Valiant Theatre, is part of the effort to convert a 1901 church into a 100-seat performance space for theatre, music, comedy, burlesque and literary events.

“This place has got personality,” Hughes told CTV News Saturday. “We want it to be a very artist-focused place … the old altar is now going to be the sacred altar of art.”

The venue hosted an art and vintage sale over the weekend as part of ongoing fundraising efforts. The sale featured antique furniture, books, music, and collectibles, many curated by Hughes himself through estate cleanouts.

“I try to curate it a bit so that it is good stuff, the interesting things, so that it doesn’t really just look like a garage sale or a thrift store,” he said. “We’ve got lots of things I think our creative friends will like.”

He said the new space will focus on young artists.

“If you want to do something as a young artist, it’s difficult to get a place where they want you,” Hughes said. “These young people, (if) they’ve got this idea, they’ve got a thing they want to do – come on down.”

The theatre’s slogan — “Art will save us all” — reflects his belief in creativity as a force for change.

“If you watch the news, it’s very depressing. The world seems kind of awful often.

“(When) you kind of look around and you go, ‘who’s going to make the world better?’ For me, it’s the artists.”