Nestled in the heart of Bend lies a haven for local artists — The Workhouse. The worn brick walls are bathed in soft, natural light streaming through large industrial windows, spotlighting the building’s industrial heritage that now mingles with the vibrant energy of the artist-tenants who are breathing new life into the storied space that was once Bend Iron Works.

The Workhouse, 50 SE Scott St., is a place where artists and artisans can come together to create, exchange ideas and showcase their work, which ranges from paintings and jewelry to textiles and sculptures.

The space offers a retail marketplace that represents around 60 to 70 local artists and artisans, seven on-site studio member spaces and events and educational programming for the Bend and Central Oregon community. Visitors can watch the creative process unfold before their eyes and get a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic process.

“The nature of the studios being open allows our studio members to communicate with the public a lot and get feedback in the moment, which, good, bad or otherwise, has created a lot of opportunities for the artists here to grow and develop their craft,” said Cari Brown, co-owner and founder of The Workhouse.

Cari Brown, a Bend native with a diverse background in the arts, and Christian Brown, an artist and fabricator from New York, embarked on opening The Workhouse about 11 years ago. Christian Brown’s artistic expertise and fabrication skills complemented Cari Brown’s experience in the arts and running a gallery. Together, they transformed The Workhouse into a vibrant hub where their collective vision and Bend’s creative energy can thrive.

The Browns sat down to talk to The Bulletin about their business. Their responses have been edited for length and content.

Q: What inspired The Workhouse and how did it originate?

A: It was through working with a jewelry designer, Stuart Breidenstein, who used to have a studio next door, that I ended up founding and opening The Workhouse.

Stuart and I really wanted something that brought interest to the area and that supported and promoted artists and artisans. Soon thereafter, Christian came out to visit from New York, and ended up staying. Eventually, Stuart stepped out of the business. Once we had the idea for the collective of studios, we thought it would probably be a really good idea to create a marketplace as well. We kind of figured that if nothing else, if we weren’t ever able to sell anything out of here, that the very least artists would have a place to work and we’d be able to keep the lights on.

Q: What is the process of selecting artists to be a part of this space?

A: We go through an application process, but we don’t generally have much turnover. And the choices we make are usually based a lot on whether or not it’s something that’s unique and different to the shop, so that we’re not creating competition, but adding more intricacy and depth to what we offer.

Q: What types of events and educational programming do you offer at The Workhouse?

A: Some of the artists will do smaller one-on-one workshops with people. Karen Eland, who does coffee and beer painting, hosts workshops and privately booked parties for people to do what she calls her “Sip and Dips.” We also offer the space to anybody who would like to hold a workshop or an event. It’s a small fee that we charge for renting the table, about $25 an hour. We also have had a studio member-generated figure drawing salon that’s been going on for about eight years every Tuesday night, and we’re reintroducing Last Saturdays.

Q: What is Last Saturdays?

A: Last Saturdays were originally an event that Breidenstein started. And we did them in conjunction with the other studios that used to be here. We treated them like a First Friday, a monthly evening of live music, drinks and a celebration of art and local retail. Now with new businesses that have moved in we’ve started having them again.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about how The Workhouse operates financially?

A: Our model is set up to be really egalitarian and our goal is to create a sustainable living for ourselves and each of our artists. So to that end, each of the artists works two days a month covering the retail aspects of the shop — it’s like a co-op in that way. And then they pay a lower commission rate on their sales and they pay rent as well. It’s all done through consignment and then we also have online sales which we manage for them.

Q: How do you see The Workhouse evolving and growing?

A: I think we got away from casting the vision board, at a certain point when we realized that what seems to work better for us, and everyone here, is just to be paying attention to what the community is looking for. I mean, the one thing I can say for sure is that as long as we’re open, we will have studio artists who work here. We always hope for more events and more activities to bring people in. But I think that our hope is to be able to continue to stay vital and relevant and be a good home for artists, for as long as they need one here.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring artists and crafts people pursuing their passion?

A: You can never underestimate the importance of having mentors. I also think being humble and being able to both ask for and receive feedback about the work you’re making, or the quality of your work, or your design ideas and being willing to grow is hugely, vastly important.