But the arts scene still draws breath \u2014 and Avery Anderson, a marketing expert and former journalist, intends to showcase it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anderson\u2019s platform, known as the Tampa Bay Arts Passport, spotlights local artists and productions through insider stories \u2014 from cello folk-rock at American Stage to acrobatic musicals at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts \u2014 all while facilitating opportunities to enjoy arts events at lower prices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The platform is a grassroots establishment of a larger effort to bring arts journalism back into the mainstream conversation, Anderson told The Crow\u2019s Nest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Arts Passport was kind of born out of the idea that we can create stronger arts journalism in the area, which then in turn can create a better arts-loving community, which then in turn can help the artistic organizations themselves,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win for everyone, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through a free weekly newsletter, subscribers of the Tampa Bay Arts Passport get to learn in depth about local arts and culture venues. For a $10 monthly subscription, they can unlock discounts on theatre and museum tickets, early access to arts events and exclusive articles on the local art scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a platform tailored to arts exploration across the region, the passport has gained popularity among residents, including St. Petersburg locals who tout the city as an arts destination.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Victoria Rogers, a retiree who volunteers at St. Petersburg\u2019s Chamber of Commerce\u2019s visitor center, especially enjoys the passport\u2019s book club, which is led by Anderson.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As both moderator and storyteller in discussions on literature by local authors, Anderson oversees a variety of themes and genres in their queue, bringing the club together once a month to discuss a story before attending an event or play that\u2019s connected to it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last month, the club read and talked about \u201cLies in Bone,\u201d a mystery novel by part-time St. Petersburg resident Natalie Symons, who is also an actress and playwright. Rogers said it was a joy to discuss the book with Symons herself when she attended one of the club meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Above all else, Rogers also appreciates Anderson\u2019s skill at moderating book discussions and narratives \u2013 and she likes their character.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Avery because they\u2019re not your cookie-cutter, St. Pete, old Northeast person,\u201d Rogers said. \u201cAnd I just crave that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Anderson, real interpersonal interactions that come from features like the book club are essential to the human experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cArt is truly how we connect with other people,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cAnd we are living in a time where physical, in-person connection is so valuable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The Tampa Bay Arts Passport features a book club led by Anderson that hosts monthly meetings and events related to the literature it discusses.
Photo courtesy of Avery Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n
In November, the club will hold its next meeting at the Holocaust Museum to discuss a book called \u201cNight\u201d by Elie Wiesel, which recounts Wiesel\u2019s plight in Auschwitz with his father during World War II. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The book club isn\u2019t the only aspect of the platform that Anderson cultivated, however. Since they began the passport in May, they\u2019ve written over 100 articles<\/a> on the highlights and cultural analyses of local literature as well as the performing, visual and fine arts in St. Petersburg.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Anderson\u2019s endeavor to report on the arts has its own challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cArts journalism is a very specific thing where it\u2019s not just, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s what\u2019s happening,\u2019 but, \u2018Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening, and this is what it means in the larger conversation of the community and of the national artistic conversation,\u2019\u201d Anderson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anderson approaches the local arts culture using their reporter\u2019s lens, with previous experience as both a journalist and a former marketing director at American Stage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n So, their work doesn\u2019t only hinge on spotlighting the arts. It zooms in on the problems and sociopolitical issues the arts community faces, even in the local haven that the passport appeals to, Anderson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think because there\u2019s been a lack of real arts journalism for so long in the community, we\u2019ve had a couple instances where the accountability that arts journalism brings rubs people the wrong way a little bit,\u201d Anderson said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Anderson recalled the backlash they received on one of their articles, which analyzed<\/a> how the majority of Tampa Bay\u2019s theatre productions and companies are dominated by white male playwrights in comparison to other demographics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As Anderson sees it, that discourse is necessary for the growth of the arts community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI always say, \u2018Advocacy isn\u2019t cheerleading,\u2019\u201d Anderson told The Crow\u2019s Nest. \u201cThere\u2019s going to have to be moments when we say we can do better. And I think that\u2019s one of the things that good journalism does for our community. It holds up that mirror.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Just as that mirror has been held up to the arts, local residents and arts enjoyers also have reflected on community advocacy, especially as federal and local government decisions have prompted questions of sustainability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rogers believes that the government overlooks the value of cultural arts in residents\u2019 lives \u2014 and it takes its liberties in defunding what it doesn\u2019t prioritize.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think art is considered something \u2014 I don\u2019t want to say frivolous \u2014 but extra, not necessary to a lot of the current policymakers these days,\u201d Rogers said. \u201cAnd as a result, it\u2019s an easy thing to cut, and it\u2019s an easy target for people that are angry about cultural issues they disagree with, because frequently, I think, artists do skew more liberal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That was another issue Anderson said they had to tackle when bringing the arts passport to the Tampa Bay area.\u00a0<\/p>\n They had to evaluate their platform like a business owner would, constantly revisiting one question for the sake of the passport\u2019s relevance and revenue: how could they make arts journalism an essential part of society and of the region\u2019s community?\u00a0<\/p>\n Jean Sheridan, a personal wellness and success coach in St. Petersburg who is also a subscriber to the passport, said she already sees the value of the arts in its benefits to well-being \u2014 and she\u2019s \u201cfurious\u201d that the government fails to see it too.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think we ignore the importance of cultural art when it comes to managing anxiety, managing stress, well-being in general,\u201d Sheridan said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Visiting theatre productions as a child and listening to local jazz musicians was enriching for Sheridan, she recalled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But she discovered an extra element of catharsis in her life when she took an improv class at Ruth Eckerd Hall that released her stress as a full-time caregiver in a way that no other recreational activity could.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe cultural arts, for me, and I think for many other people, is a really wonderful way for me to de-stress, relax, to pause for a moment, get out of our heads, whether it\u2019s reading a book or going to see a show or going to hear music,\u201d Sheridan said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n When Sheridan first moved to St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay area was a \u201ccultural desert,\u201d she said. It was difficult to foster connections and understand what events and developments were happening.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But in the 25 years she has lived there, she believes the arts scene has grown substantially \u2014 and the passport is a testament to that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that I could connect with a community, that I wasn\u2019t trying to either put together things on my own or going by myself or whatever, that there would be a group \u2014 that was really appealing to me,\u201d Sheridan said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Sheridan is also in Anderson\u2019s book club and is an avid reader of their articles. With a past in improv and recurring interest in the performing arts, she said it\u2019s pleasing that someone still has their eyes on changes and developments within the arts community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anderson said that, in addition to informing residents about those developments, the passport aims to uplift and give representation to various communities and rising artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in the South, and for, particularly, communities that are not in the mainstream and who are more marginalized, art is a way to really be seen and expressed and heard,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cAnd having a thriving art scene can really help people just feel that they aren\u2019t alone in this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n With the convergence of the arts and journalism, two industries that face discourse of defunding and repression, Anderson hopes that the membership model of the platform can help maintain it as it grows.\u00a0<\/p>\n As local governments and donors continue to debate how much they\u2019ll give to the arts, community funding will be key to sustainability, they told The Crow\u2019s Nest.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone asked me today, \u2018How can I support you?\u2019 and I just said, \u2018Follow and share,\u2019\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThe bigger our megaphone becomes, the better chance we\u2019re going to have at really moving the needle in helping these artists and these organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Anderson spearheaded the platform\u2019s creation in May, with a goal to reinstate arts journalism and access as valuable parts of the community.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Bounds\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Written by: Jasmin Parrado<\/a> on November 4, 2025.
Last revised by: Julia Ferrara<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anderson (right) tabling a booth for the Tampa Bay Arts Passport at a Pride event. Photo courtesy of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-32375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}