We\u2019re asking thought leaders, business people and creatives to talk about the upcoming new year and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2026.<\/p>\n
To borrow from Mark Twain, reports of the death of Creative Pinellas have been greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n
Margaret Murray, CEO of the county\u2019s arts support organization, was among those blindsided by commissioners\u2019 decision to discontinue $1 million in Creative Pinellas funding in September. \u201cThere was no way to see it coming,\u201d she insists. \u201cAnd it could not have been prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n
A fatal blow? Not exactly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a single person who doesn\u2019t want to put 2025 in the rearview mirror,\u201d Murray laughs. \u201cBut I will say this: We are really looking strategically at how we can us the arts to better serve residents. I\u2019m looking at some healthcare initiatives that I put in place when I was with the Museum of Fine Arts, growing those and expanding those to the county; developing new partnerships outside of the arts and tourism worlds that I think will help us. Which I\u2019m really excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization has been effectively evicted from its longtime offices and art gallery in Largo (it\u2019s a county-owned building). The gallery closes next week, while Murray and her staff will be out Feb. 1.<\/p>\n
Still, she intends to turn Creative Pinellas into a lean, mean arts supporting machine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of really good stuff planned,\u201d Murray says. \u201cAlthough we are closing the gallery, we\u2019re going to continue operations. We\u2019re going to be a nimble, mobile organization. The staff will be working from home. I\u2019m working with our HR consultant to craft a really well thought out work-from-home policy to make sure that everyone\u2019s supported, and that we can continue to do our mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue operations. It\u2019s an exciting time. I realize that there\u2019s so much potential here, just listening to people over the past few months talk about how important the arts are to them. And how Creative Pinellas has changed lives personally, and professionally. We\u2019re not going to stop doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murray stresses that CP is still the county\u2019s designated local arts agency. \u201cThis is an arts community that deserves a really strong and active arts agency advocating for them. And that\u2019s what Creative Pinellas is.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working with the county on five different public arts projects right now. We should be spreading the word about what an amazing arts community we have here. And we should be spreading that message out to everyone around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
She expressed interest in working, as the group has in the past, with the county\u2019s tourism agency Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, which is charged with getting the area\u2019s message out to potential visitors.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a time for looking forward, instead of the other way around. \u201cI think that 2025 was, for many people, a wake-up call,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I would encourage everyone to pay attention to elections at the local level, make sure that you know where your candidates stand on issues that you care about.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd make sure that you\u2019re an informed citizen. It\u2019s really important, and these elections do have consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
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