St. Petersburg Arts Alliance Executive Director Helen French
In a time when public arts funding is vanishing faster than a painted-over mural, new St. Petersburg Arts Alliance Executive Director Helen French isn’t just stepping into her role; she’s stepping up for every artist, organization, and community member who believes creativity is essential.
French brings a mosaic of experience to the role, shaped by years of dancing, teaching, producing, and fundraising. As a former Arts Alliance board chair, she also brings deep familiarity with the organization she now leads.
“I have many hats,” French says. “I think that the relationship I have as a performing artist, a choreographer, and an interpreter of other people’s work has given me a skillset of how to collaborate and work well with others.”
French’s artistry is matched by her administrative acumen. Whether she was producing the Speak-and-Dance series at the Palladium or managing contracts, fundraising, and budgets, she embraced the behind-the-scenes work that’s needed for an arts organization to succeed.
Her tenure at the Palladium expanded into development work like St. Petersburg College’s $10 million capital campaign to renovate the historic venue.
“I learned a lot about just that level of development and fundraising and relationship building and collaboration,” French says. “Every opportunity I’ve had as either a performing artist, a teaching artist, or an advocate has taught me a skillset I find myself using.”
Sustaining the arts
“My first priority is listening and learning — building deep relationships with our member organizations, individual artists, and the broader creative community to understand their needs and aspirations,” she says.
Because in Florida, the arts are under siege.
Governor DeSantis vetoed all state arts funding in 2024. The Trump administration is pushing to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. In September, the Pinellas County Commission defunded its designated local arts agency, Creative Pinellas. These aren’t just budget lines being eliminated. They’re body blows to a community that thrives on expression, connection, and cultural storytelling.
French hasn’t flinched in the face of the challenge.
“Public and private investment in the arts is an ever-changing landscape, and it has been that way since the beginning of art patronage,” she says. “I keep my eyes on the shifts of funding streams and work towards educating, at all levels, why the arts are an important investment priority, whether you are an individual donor or government entity.”
She’s not waiting for a handout; she’s building a movement. And she’s doing it with strategy, not slogans.
“I want our initiatives to emerge from the planning process with our board and community rather than coming in with a fixed agenda…I’m in listening mode right now, and that’s exactly where I want to be,” French explains.
She’s eyeing cross-sector partnerships that link the arts with education, health, civic life, and economic development. She wants to expand support systems for artists at every career stage and make SPAA a hub for shared resources and knowledge.
The impact will reach beyond the arts, because when murals are painted over, and cultural landmarks are threatened, it’s not just art that’s erased, it’s identity. French sees the nuance. She’s here to keep it breathing, not freeze art in amber.
“Public art is designed to respond to the moment,” she says. “Not only do cultural visions shift, but artists’ visions shift as well. It is important to preserve the community’s ability to have these conversations.”
Bringing the community together
For French, inclusivity isn’t a catchphrase; it’s the foundation of her approach.
“SPAA champions all artists and art organizations coming together to ensure that artists can live, create, and thrive here,” she says. “SPAA can and should be a catalyst for gathering people together from across our entire community.”
That includes emerging artists from underrepresented backgrounds.
“When we invest in emerging artists from all backgrounds, we’re investing in a creative community that truly reflects St. Petersburg’s diversity and ensures our cultural future is vibrant,” French says.
What gives her hope for the arts, despite the funding cuts, the political headwinds, and the cultural erasures?
“My community!” French says. “Every day I see artists showing up with resilience, creativity, and determination—they’re not waiting for perfect conditions to create, they’re making work that matters right now.”
She finds hope in her own artistic practice, too.
“When I’m dancing, I’m reminded that art-making is fundamentally an act of hope—it’s about believing that what you make can connect with others, spark conversation, or shift perspective,” French says. “There’s something powerful about staying curious in challenging times. Curiosity keeps me asking questions, looking for unexpected solutions, and finding connections where others might see obstacles. And when I look at St. Petersburg’s arts community — the way organizations collaborate, the way artists support each other, the way audiences continue to show up — I see that same curiosity and generosity everywhere. That’s what sustains me, the knowledge that we’re in this together and that creativity has always found a way to survive and even thrive in difficult moments. The challenges are real, but so is our collective commitment to ensuring the arts remain vital here.”
If you’re wondering how to help, French offers a suggestion:
“Go experience art!”
For more information, go to St. Pete Arts Alliance