The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in 2016 to establish an Individual Artist Grant Program. Now in its 9th year, this annual program will be awarding $5,000 to 4 recipients to complete and present projects between September and December 2023!
This opportunity is intended to provide financial assistance to artists who live or work in the City of St. Petersburg for specific projects. The program is designed to support public engagement of individual artists’ work/projects in genres such as Visual/Craft Arts, Dance, Music, Theater, Literature, and more.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 17, 2023 5:00pm.
Please read this entire page in detail before submitting your application.
Apply online here.
Or apply via snail mail using this form as a template to:
St. Petersburg Arts Alliance
Attn: Tiffany Ford
100 2nd Ave. N
Suite 150
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(Note: Smail mailed items must be received by deadline, not postmarked by)
GRANT PERIOD AND AMOUNT
- The grant period is September through December 2023
- You may request funding up to $5,000.
- All projects should be completed by the December 31, 2023 end date; HOWEVER, the date may be extended if a community engagement component of the program occurs after that date.
- Grant funds may not be requested for expenditures prior to August 1, 2023.
ELIGIBILITY
- Applicant must be at least 18 years of age.
- Artists who have received an award within the past 2 years are not eligible for 2023 Grant funds.
- Applicants must live or work in the City of St. Petersburg, and plan to continue their residency in the City of St. Petersburg following the grant award.
- Students pursuing ANY degree or full-time faculty in higher education are NOT ELIGIBLE for college or university projects. Faculty may apply if it is for a separate creative business.
- "Accomplished" status may be determined by artistic resume, training, or achievement; catalogs; programs, press clips, and/or articles.
- The applicant's resume must show commitment to the art form through education, training, or professional experience, and must show evidence of exhibition, public performance.
- Non-profit arts organizations are not eligible for this grant and should apply to the City of St. Petersburg’s Arts Grants Program.
PROJECT VALUES, CRITERIA & SCORING
A jury consisting of professional artists, SPAA Board representation, staff members, and local cultural leaders evaluate applications. A total of 100 points is possible with 70 points required for funding consideration. Funding decisions will be based on the following:
- Creativity & Innovation: A unique approach to your artform that is distinct from others in your field and pushes boundaries. (20 points)
- Impact: Your project will make a positive impact on a specific community, the public, or the world at large. (10 points)
- Community Connection: Your project involves collaborating or engaging with other artists, organizations, or community members in a way that fosters connectedness and belonging - particularly in terms of equity, diversity, and inclusion. (20 points)
- Personal Growth: This project will enable you to grow and advance your artistic practice and/or career goals. This could include developing new skills, exploring new ideas or techniques, or taking risks in your work. (10 points)
- Feasibility: The budget and timeline for the project, as well as your relevant experience demonstrate that you can execute it successfully. (20 points)
- Completeness and clarity of the application. (10 points)
- Artistic excellence as demonstrated by work samples, professional resume (including any combination of education, artistic training, and level of achievement and/or evidence of commitment to personal artistic development). (10 points)
ALLOWABLE EXPENSES
- MATERIALS/SUPPLIES: Purchase of materials and supplies that are necessary for the completion or production of NEW work.
- EQUIPMENT: Equipment purchases or rentals must be directly related to the creation of NEW original artwork. Specifications regarding product description, supplier and cost must be attached.
- PRESENTATION/ DOCUMENTATION: Costs related to producing materials such as slides, discs, catalogs, portfolios, demo tapes, manuscripts, music charts, etc.
- SERVICES: Vendor or facility rentals for the presentation/production of NEW work.
EXCLUDED EXPENSES
- Expenses that are not reimbursable include, but are not limited to, alcoholic beverages, vehicle rentals, personal rent, entertainment, gratuities, or meals.
- Expenditures made prior to August 1, 2023.
ACCOUNTABILITY/REPORTING/PAYMENT
In all publicity, websites, printed or production materials related to the grant project, the recipient must credit the St. Petersburg Art Alliance and the St. Petersburg’s Office of Cultural Affairs for support in the same font size, or larger, as any other sponsors.
Grantees are responsible for submitting a final report with examples of the results of the grant project within 30 days of the completion of the project to the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance.
All grant recipients are considered independent contractors, and will receive a 1099. Recipients are responsible for any tax obligations under federal, state or local laws. You are required to submit an IRS W-9 form before we can issue a check.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
- Please use the google form application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSck9-8LRmMR4rlSKLK8JT1Q8OVFh-sBAyfH1715UisTUIUJFA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Note: To include the required attachments, you may be asked to sign in with a google account
- Alternatively, you can apply by using this pdf of the application form as a template to complete, print, and snail mail your application.
Mail applications to: St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, Attn: Tiffany Ford - 100 2nd Ave. N, Suite 150, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(Note: Smail mailed items must be received by deadline, not postmarked by) - You must submit your entire application via the form link provided, or via mail. We will not accept applications that are partially completed online with the remainder shared via mail.
- You will be required to include narrative descriptions about your project and its impact.
- You will be required to share a budget. See a budget example here for proper formatting.
- You may optionally include any Memorandums of Understanding.
- You will be required to attach a resume, or list of performances, exhibitions, or published works.
- You will be required to include work samples. See below for details.
REQUIRED WORK SAMPLES
If samples are submitted via mail, we are not responsible for loss or damage of materials; however, every effort will be made to properly care for the materials submitted. Samples must be submitted in protective packaging.
VISUAL, DIGITAL, CRAFT
Provide three copies of work samples via email, or on one flash drive. Label work samples.
MUSIC, THEATRE & DANCE
Include in email or send one flash drive of up to two examples of work. This could be excerpts recorded from a previous performance/production within the past two years, or recently filmed audition pieces. Label work samples and include dates of performance.
LITERARY ARTS
Provide three copies of work samples via email, or on one flash drive. This could be writing samples, or recordings of your work from previous performances. Label work samples.
Returning for its ninth year, the SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival once again ignited the City of the Arts with a diverse collection of public art from renowned local, national and international mural artists.
October 13-22, 2023
The festival, which has received widespread international attention, is an outdoor art exhibition aimed at celebrating art for art’s sake. During SHINE, 14 new murals plus a series of Bright Spot community mural projects will be added to the art districts and surrounding neighborhoods of St. Petersburg’s downtown. Use the 2023 mural map on this page to find where the artists created beautiful works of art! Be sure to follow on social media at @shineonstpete for more details.
About SHINE®
The SHINE® Mural Festival is an event of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, a non-profit, 501 (c)3 dedicated to advocating for the arts and driving arts-related economic impact. We rely on your support to continue producing this world-class event. To make a donation, click here.
The annual SHINE® St. Petersburg Mural Festival illuminates the power of art in public spaces by revitalizing areas, inspiring dialogue, and uniting our community—while cultivating new standards of artistic excellence reflecting St. Petersburg's creative and vibrant spirit. By using the walls and streets as canvas, SHINE transforms our shared spaces into a world-class outdoor gallery featuring top contemporary local, national, and international artists. Produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, SHINE has created nearly 150 murals throughout downtown and the surrounding arts districts since 2015.
Find SHINE®
The SHINE® Mural Festival is the first in the world to have an accessible audio tour and the technology to instantly connect mural viewers to online content via PixelStix. This interactive technology is now being used by other mural organizations nationwide.
The SHINE® Mural Festival takes place every October. Follow SHINE on Facebook & Instagram at @ShineOnStPete for event updates!
Support SHINE®
If you’re interested in supporting St. Pete’s most vibrant event, sponsorship at all levels is still available. Please contact Jenee Priebe at jenee@stpeteartsalliance.org or visit our SHINE Sponsorship page.
Jenna Felder
Coming soon!
Eve Epstein-Ortiz
Eve Epstein-Ortiz is the Director of Legal for Certn, one of the fastest growing background check companies in the world. She has dedicated her career to labor and employment law and the changing workforce. Eve is the former CEO and Co-Founder of SoleVenture, a back-office platform for freelancers. She began her practice in Washington, DC as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor. Later on, she served as an Assistant Counsel for the National Treasury Employees Union – the second largest federal employees union in the country. She returned home to St. Pete in 2015 to create and manage St. Petersburg’s Wage Theft Recovery Program.
Eve is an avid runner, active mentor at the St. Pete Free Clinic’s Women’s Residence, and Friends of Strays board member. She graduated cum laude from Smith College and received her J.D. from UC Davis, School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Florida, and she holds a GIAC certification in Law of Data Security & Investigations.
Stephanie Gularte
Stephanie Gularte is an experienced arts leader, a small business owner, and a certified executive leadership coach. She has a track record of successfully integrating entrepreneurial business leadership with creative expertise and wellness practices. Through more than twenty years of executive arts leadership experience with organizations throughout the United States, Stephanie has learned to develop cultures of strategic effectiveness and passionate engagement among board members, directors, staff, and community stakeholders. Over time, her leadership and strategic planning expertise became integrated into her passion for wellness and her research and continued studies in topics including workplace wellbeing, health promotion, mindset and energy management. She provides workplace wellness and leadership consulting to businesses and individual and team coaching to leaders and teams. She presents keynotes and workshops on leadership wellbeing, workplace engagement and resilience, staff engagement, multi-generational team collaboration and other topics that promote individual and organizational wellbeing, Stephanie is a CEO Circle facilitator and a trainer through the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay where she leads workshops and consults on a range of topics. Stephanie also volunteers her time as a coach for graduating MBA students through the University of Tampa, helping young professionals identify their goals, clarify their paths and energize their plans forward. Stephanie is committed to supporting the development of vibrant, diverse and inclusive communities and has partnered with other leaders on civic planning projects to enhance cultural vitality in cities on the west and east coasts.
Stephanie holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing, and holds certifications in leadership coaching and health coaching. She is also a certified Energy Leadership Master Practitioner through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. As the Founder and CEO of The Energy Advantage, LLC, Stephanie works with leaders and businesses to integrate creativity, vitality and strategic planning to build powerful impact and wellbeing.
Julia Howard
Coming Soon!
Terry Marks
Terry Marks grew up in NYC, with a deep and abiding love for visual and performing arts. Her first career was as an educator, she then worked on Wall Street with Fortune 500 companies, for the largest minority and woman-owned brokerage. Terry also was a publisher of a magazine for children, as well as owning her own 17-year consulting practice, when she moved to Los Angeles, serving organizations with budgets from $2 million to over $250 million.
During her time in Los Angeles, she taught at the Center for Nonprofit Management for 10 years and at the University of Southern California, working to grow missions that included the arts, health, literacy, homelessness, seniors, the environment, and serving families affected by developmental disabilities, with a special focus on autism. She has a background in marketing and communications and has been a speaker at national conferences, as well as a former CEO of a national nonprofit.
Within the world of art and culture, Terry worked with the Santa Monica Museum of Art, known now as the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Pacific Symphony, Celebration Theater, Los Angeles Youth Orchestra and traveled with one of her clients, a ballet company in a cultural exchange to China.
Matthew McGee
Matthew McGee is an award-winning actor, arts administrator, writer, drag performer and cabaret artist that has made Tampa Bay home for the past 22 years. He has appeared on both sides of the bay with freeFall Theatre, Stageworks and American Stage. McGee has also made frequent appearances with Asolo Rep in Sarasota, the Hippodrome in Gainesville and with Mountain Theatre Company in Highlands, NC. From 2012 to 2020, McGee was a cast member at Walt Disney World. Film/tv credits include Amazon Prime's Life's Rewards, Waiting on Mary, Miss Conception, Small Group and Scoot. Awards include: 2022 Muse Award (Performing Arts). Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay (2022 Best Actor and 4 time Best Local Drag Performer). Watermark Wave Award (3 time Best Stage Performer) and Sarasota Out Awards (2021 Best Actor), Theatre Tampa Bay Award (4 time recipient).
McGee has also worked in Outreach and Marketing for freeFall Theatre Company since 2012 where he oversees all marketing initiatives, branding, promotional copy, communications and social media. His writing work includes The Scott & Patti Show. The Night Before and Nightsweat (co-written with Natalie Symons) premiering at freeFall in the fall of 2023. In addition to his theatre work, McGee is a sought after presenter and has appeared as guest host on Daytime NBC and Tampa Bay's Morning Blend.
Pyper Inc: Kelly Pyper & Lindsay Petty
Kelly Pyper’s agency career spans three decades with multi-discipline experience in strategy, media, and agency management. She began her career in NYC and Philadelphia before relocating to St. Pete. Lindsay Petty leads the account management and client strategy team at the agency. She has been with Pyper, Inc. for 7 years, after working with local in-house marketing departments including the Tampa Bay Rays and University of South Florida. Her career began in the DC area. Kelly and Lindsay will talk about how to use marketing & communications tools to connect with the community, extend their brand, build success, and more!
Erica Sutherlin
Filmmaker and Theatrical Director, Erica Sutherlin, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production from University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Ms. Sutherlin made her directorial debut with the Lifetime Movie network’s #1 Christmas movie, Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas. This is her second feature following Stratosphere, in which, she directed and co-wrote. Before her appointment as director, Ms. Sutherlin was selected for the Lifetime Network’s Director Shadow program, held a Fellowship with the Blackhouse Foundation Sundance Fellows program and was a recipient of Facebook’s SEEN initiative for black filmmakers. Currently, Ms. Sutherlin is a recipient of the Creative Pinellas Individual Artist Recovery Grant for film and is a Fellow for the Advancing Racial Equity on Non-Profit Boards class of 2022.
As a writer, currently, Ms. Sutherlin is writing narrative features with Village Roadshow and the UK based production company, iGeneration Studios. She was a writer for the newly released and multiple award-winning film, Voodoo Macbeth, which was produced through Warner Brothers and University of Southern California. As a USC Showrunner, she developed, wrote, and produced the sitcom, Unschooled, with a wonderful team of writers. Ms. Sutherlin concluded her time at USC in the writer’s room, developing, writing, and producing the short form limited dramatic series, SUGAR LAND.
After receiving her Bachelor of Art degree in Theater Performance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Ms. Sutherlin began theatrically directing. For the past twenty years, she has directed numerous plays and musicals. Currently, she began her directing process for Ragtime, the musical. Recently, Ms. Sutherlin received stellar reviews for her productions of Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, Dutchman by LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka and the musical, The Color Purple by Marsha Norman.
As a poet and essayist, Ms. Sutherlin has published works in Building Womanist Coalitions: Writing and Teaching in the Spirit of Love and Hooked on the Art of Love: bell hooks and My Calling for Soul-Work, works by Dr. Gary Lemons, professor of English at University of South Florida.
Amongst her talents as a writer-director, Ms. Sutherlin is an equity actress and arts educator who has performed and taught nationally and internationally.
Other notable awards and citations included: the Shriram Family Fellowship, Jean & Ruth Negulesco Endowment Fellowship, the Director’s Citation and the NSHSS Nobel Educator of Distinction Award. Her theatre company, The Space, was awarded Tampa Bay’s Theatre on the Rise. Ms. Sutherlin has been featured in numerous newspapers, magazine, radio shows and digital media source platforms for her performances, writing and directing accolades.
Jim Woodfield
Aside from being a professional artist, gallerist, and art collector; Jim Woodfield has more than 40 years of experience in labor relations, human resources, and payroll and benefits administration. He has expertise in contract language, corporate budgets, arbitration and mediation; as well as art curation and collecting.
After retiring from the corporate world at the end of 2010, Jim and his husband Clay moved to St. Petersburg where Jim began to concentrate more fully on his art. In 2015 he opened Woodfield Fine Art Gallery with a commitment to represent only Tampa Bay area artists. He has held true to that commitment.
Jim has served on the board of directors for various local organizations, and is currently the vice chair of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. This will be the third Arts Business Academy for which he has been an instructor.
The St. Pete Arts Alliance is delighted to produce the St. Petersburg Studio, Gallery, Museum and Performing Arts Guide! Over 12,000 guides were distributed from June 2022 to the present all over St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, at hotels, our visitor center, the beaches and many events such as MUSE, Florida CraftArt Festival and Mainsail. We know that this guide is extremely beneficial informing visitors and residents alike about our great City of the Arts. The annual Arts Guide provides excellent exposure for your arts business, building your brand and also supporting the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the umbrella organization that advocates for all the arts in our city.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance will be updating this guide for 2023-2024 over the next couple of weeks. Here are your options to be included in the guide.
- If you are not a member (or need to renew) and have a brick and mortar art venue or are a business that supports the arts AND are located in the City of St. Pete, check out our member benefits and enroll then return to this page. Please review last year’s guide then fill out the form below.
- If you are a current SPAA member with a brick and mortar art venue or are a business that supports the arts AND are located in the City of St. Pete, you receive a free listing in the guide! Please review last year’s guide then fill out the form below.
Choose from 2 Forms Below
Use the first form if you are NEW to the Guide, or would like to UPDATE your listing from last year.
Use the second form if you were in last year's guide and would like NO CHANGES made to your listing.
And don't forget to look at PLACING AN AD in the guide! Each form has the option.
NEW or UPDATED LISTING
If you are new to the Arts Guide, or would like to make changes to your listing, please use this form.
SAME LISTING
If you were in the Arts Guide last year and would like to keep the EXACT SAME listing, choose this form.
Payment
- To pay for your ad online: Go to our donation page on our website, input your amount, choose other and comment in the box that payment is for the 2023 Guide ad.
- To pay by check: Mail to - St. Pete Arts Alliance, Attention Tracy. 100 2nd Avenue N. Ste. 150, St. Pete, FL 33701
- Email tracy@stpeteartsalliance.org if you require an invoice.
Everyone will be listed alphabetically with a separate section for Performing Arts and Museums and one city-wide map with everyone included. There will also be a special section that lists “Businesses That Support the Arts” which will not include an image.
