Bestow – meaning a gift that is put to use.
Recently, the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance was awarded a grant from NEA/Creative Pinellas for the 2022 Pinellas Recovers Arts Organization Grants. How does this impact our city of the arts? Let me count the ways…For the first time in a few years (and due to Covid), we will be able to get a Trolley in our city back in motion. This means that our community and also visitors to St. Pete can freely access all that is offered on 2nd Saturday ArtWalk (and it’s a lot). We can safely transport people around to art districts that they may otherwise not visit. It means that our artists will be exposed to a greater audience, and they will gain greater support. It also means that through this one magical evening a month, we share what is so inspiring about our city: its creativity, innovation and vision.
This grant also allows us to continue to grow Funding Futures, our scholarship program that support our student artists by allowing them to continue their focus on their artistic abilities through after school and summer programs. These are the talented students that would not have the means to access these enriching offerings. This is important to all of us, since these young talents are our future. They are the ones that will sustain our creativity, innovation and vision. We want to support them and keep them here in our city, always a part of our community.
In addition to these two programs, this grant will allow SPAA to strengthen the marketing of our 10 museums, as a whole – a “Mecca of Museums”, attracting locals and visitors with the abundance and variety that these cultural institutions offer. In conjunctions with our Comprehensive Arts Strategy, funding from the City of St. Pete, the Community Foundation Tampa Bay and St. Pete Downtown Partnership, we will launch videos of all of these institutions and once again, solidify arts as an economic driver that enriches our cultural environment and builds our economic growth. The statistics and studies evidence this, but all you need to do is ask anyone why they have moved to St. Pete, and I bet one of the main reasons is art and culture.
This grant also supports SHINE, our International Mural Festival which is in our 8th year and growing. The light that SHINE spreads is not just on our region, but truly international, as we continue to bring artists from around the globe to our home. It provides all of us with the opportunity to see art 24/7, as we walk or drive through St. Pete. Our murals not only beautify, but they also help with traffic safety (yes, statistics prove that), health and wellbeing and add vibrancy to parts of our city that deserve some extra love.
Lastly, Arts for a Complete Education (ACE) in our schools, is the moving force to ensure that art is part of every student’s curriculum in a powerful, purposeful and sequential way. This funding partially supports a dedicated staff member to oversee and invigorate this program. Having this focus allows SPAA to create the strategy to grow ACE, its presence within the schools and community, as well as communicating the importance of visual and performing art.
All in all, we are dedicated to making sure that artists of all ages, walks of life, abilities and backgrounds, are recognized for their contributions to our city, our community and our society.
Our team at the St. Pete Arts Alliance, which includes our board, staff, donors and volunteers, understand the importance of our work. We are grateful to be awarded these funds, that accomplish so much, and we will continue to seek support and evidence impact to you, St. Pete, our beautiful and diverse city of the arts.
Thank you National Endowment for the Arts and Creative Pinellas for your support!
Tampa Bay artists are invited to submit portfolios for the SHINE Unity Project which furthers the mission of enabling diverse forms of art and culture to thrive, ensuring greater accessibility and healthier communities. The SHINE Unity Project consists of three (3) murals located in underserved neighborhoods and communities across St. Petersburg. This project is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
All Tampa Bay Area visual artists (or artists teams) are invited to submit portfolios until April 17th at 11:59pm.
Artists (or artists teams) are asked to provide 3-5 samples of work and artist bio/CV, demonstrating their ability to complete an exterior mural project. Artists must be available to complete the mural within the project timeline. One (1) of the three (3) murals will be a community project with youth participation.
All SHINE Unity murals will involve community and neighborhood engagement. The artists will be expected to familiarize themselves with the surrounding neighborhood and its history prior to painting. A mural sketch will be required with up to one (1) round of edits.
Dates of mural installation: June 10-18, 2022
Compensation: $5,000 plus paint, supplies and equipment
Artists will be notified of acceptance on April 20th, 2022.
Mural locations TBD.
St. Pete Arts Alliance Welcomes Tiffany Ford as Director of Community Advancement St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) is delighted to announce its newest staff member, Tiffany Ford, as the Director of Community Advancement. Ford’s role will be to develop and expand collaborative programs and partnerships that embrace and advance arts in St. Petersburg. She will work closely with SPAA CEO, Terry Marks - who just celebrated her first year leading the organization - on the Comprehensive Arts Strategy organizational planning, advocacy, and ensuring accessible opportunities for local artists to grow and flourish.
“Tiffany Ford is a wonderful asset to our growing organization and brings with her years of experience in the performing arts, as well as in the field of education. This experience aligns with our desire to expand educational opportunities for artists and art organizations and also increases our impact and support for performing arts within our city.” - Terry Marks
Ford’s first initiatives will be to enhance SPAA’s educational programming, including guidance and support of Arts for a Complete Education (ACE), professional development opportunities for practicing and emerging artists, and collaborations with key partners to bring accessible summer programs to teens interested in the arts.
Ford commented, “Creating and experiencing the arts connects us more to ourselves and others. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate a community alive with approachable arts activities and opportunities. It’s a way for us to be together, and grow together.”
While Tiffany is a native Floridian, she lived in Washington DC for several years, working with The American Alliance for Theatre & Education, and as a theatre director, teaching artist and inclusion facilitator with Imagination Stage. While in DC, she taught and directed for institutions and programs such as The Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival, Source DC, Washington Improv Theatre, Mount Vernon Children’s Theatre, and National Cathedral School. Tiffany returned to her home state to work with Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2013 before finding a home for many years as the Director of Education & Outreach at American Stage, building on the organization's outstanding 40+ year track record of providing accessible and high quality arts education throughout the region for youth and adults. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she founded Project Spotlight (the student-run production company still serving student artists today). While at UCF, she was honored as one of 8 national nominees in Directing by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Today, Tiffany most recently co-founded Sunshine City Improv Theatre (SCIT), and the networking and advocacy group Women of Tampa Bay Performing Arts.
