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St. Petersburg Arts Alliance Executive Director Helen French<\/p>\nSt. Petersburg Arts Alliance Executive Director Helen French<\/p>\n
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\u2019t just stepping into her role; she\u2019s stepping up for every artist, organization, and community member who believes creativity is essential.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have many hats,\u201d French says. \u201cI think that the relationship I have as a performing artist, a choreographer, and an interpreter of other people\u2019s work has given me a skillset of how to collaborate and work well with others.\u201d<\/p>\n
French\u2019s 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\u2019s needed for an arts organization to succeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tenure at the Palladium expanded into development work like St. Petersburg College\u2019s $10 million capital campaign to renovate the historic venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned a lot about just that level of development and fundraising and relationship building and collaboration,\u201d French says. \u201cEvery opportunity I\u2019ve had as either a performing artist, a teaching artist, or an advocate has taught me a skillset I find myself using.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sustaining the arts<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first priority is listening and learning \u2014 building deep relationships with our member organizations, individual artists, and the broader creative community to understand their needs and aspirations,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because in Florida, the arts are under siege.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t just budget lines being eliminated. They\u2019re body blows to a community that thrives on expression, connection, and cultural storytelling.<\/p>\n
French hasn\u2019t flinched in the face of the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic and private investment in the arts is an ever-changing landscape, and it has been that way since the beginning of art patronage,\u201d she says. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s not waiting for a handout; she\u2019s building a movement. And she\u2019s doing it with strategy, not slogans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want our initiatives to emerge from the planning process with our board and community rather than coming in with a fixed agenda\u2026I\u2019m in listening mode right now, and that\u2019s exactly where I want to be,\u201d French explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The impact will reach beyond the arts, because when murals are painted over, and cultural landmarks are threatened, it\u2019s not just art that\u2019s erased, it\u2019s identity. French sees the nuance. She\u2019s here to keep it breathing, not freeze art in amber.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic art is designed to respond to the moment,\u201d she says. \u201cNot only do cultural visions shift, but artists\u2019 visions shift as well. It is important to preserve the community\u2019s ability to have these conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing the community together<\/p>\n
For French, inclusivity isn\u2019t a catchphrase; it\u2019s the foundation of her approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSPAA champions all artists and art organizations coming together to ensure that artists can live, create, and thrive here,\u201d she says. \u201cSPAA can and should be a catalyst for gathering people together from across our entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n
That includes emerging artists from underrepresented backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we invest in emerging artists from all backgrounds, we\u2019re investing in a creative community that truly reflects St. Petersburg\u2019s diversity and ensures our cultural future is vibrant,\u201d French says.<\/p>\n
What gives her hope for the arts, despite the funding cuts, the political headwinds, and the cultural erasures?<\/p>\n
\u201cMy community!\u201d French says. \u201cEvery day I see artists showing up with resilience, creativity, and determination\u2014they\u2019re not waiting for perfect conditions to create, they\u2019re making work that matters right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
She finds hope in her own artistic practice, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m dancing, I\u2019m reminded that art-making is fundamentally an act of hope\u2014it\u2019s about believing that what you make can connect with others, spark conversation, or shift perspective,\u201d French says. \u201cThere\u2019s 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\u2019s arts community \u2014 the way organizations collaborate, the way artists support each other, the way audiences continue to show up \u2014 I see that same curiosity and generosity everywhere. That\u2019s what sustains me, the knowledge that we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re wondering how to help, French offers a suggestion:<\/p>\n
\u201cGo experience art!\u201d<\/p>\n