Tampa Bay Arts Passport

01/01/2026

In heavy times, we look for bright spots.

In this moment, Clareann Despain shares the heartbeat behind Powerstories’s 2026 season—stories rooted in hope, connection, and the belief that we can still create something good together.

Not escapism.
Not denial.
Just light, on purpose.

🎧 Full episode now live.

12/31/2025

This year’s Beacon Award from the Tampa Bay Arts Passport goes to Erica Sutherlin — not just for what she’s made, but for what she’s made possible.

As artistic executive director of The Studio at 620, Erica has spent the past year widening the circle: launching new collaboration models, creating first-time leadership opportunities, strengthening resident companies, and showing up—again and again—for artists and organizations across Tampa Bay.

Her work ripples outward. A co-production becomes a new standard. A first-time stage manager becomes a leader. A small arts center becomes a civic space where risk is supported and people are paid to learn.

Multiple people nominated Erica for this award. That alone says everything.

As Clareann Despain put it: “Erica is a cultural force. Her vision and artistry is unparalleled. She is a leader in every sense of the word.”

That’s what a Beacon does.
It doesn’t just shine — it helps others find their way.

by Avery Anderson On the final day of 2025 and the end of our first annual Orange Blossom Awards. The Beacon Award honors one person this year who didn’t just show up—but pushed the field forward. Who expanded what felt possible. Who said yes when it would’ve

12/31/2025

Twenty-six years doesn’t happen overnight.

In this clip, Michele Smith talks about the long road to securing a permanent home for the Tampa Arts Alliance — and how relationship-building quietly laid the groundwork years before the space ever existed.

Committee meetings.
Property manager roundtables.
Paying attention to what downtown actually needed.

So when a first-floor space opened up, the answer wasn’t luck — it was readiness.

With trust and support from Farley White Interests, the Alliance is stepping into a role as a true community amenity — not just an office, but a public-facing investment in the arts.

This is what long-game leadership looks like.

12/30/2025

Most theater tickets are bought by women.
Most theater work is written by men.

Yeah. That part.

In this moment, Clareann Despain breaks down why Powerstories is relaunching programs for girls, prioritizing women playwrights, and expanding space for voices that are still underproduced—especially 40+ women.

The pipeline doesn’t fix itself.
You have to build it.

🎧 Full episode out now.

12/30/2025

Today’s Orange Blossom goes to Tracy Kennard — someone whose work touches nearly every corner of St. Petersburg’s arts ecosystem, even if her name isn’t always on the marquee.

As Arts, Culture & Tourism coordinator for the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Tracy is the person helping projects move from idea to reality. She coordinates complex initiatives, connects artists to opportunities, and helps creatives navigate grants and city processes that can otherwise feel overwhelming.

Her impact is tangible: public art that gets completed, artists who submit stronger applications, and a city where creativity is supported by people who understand both art and infrastructure.

Tracy doesn’t just support the arts — she makes the system work for the people inside it. And because of that, St. Pete’s creative community is stronger, more connected, and more possible.

by Avery Anderson Some people are visible champions of the arts. Others are the reason the system works at all. Tracy Kennard belongs firmly in the second category—and St. Petersburg is better for it. In her work with the City of St. Petersburg, Tracy operates at the intersection where

12/29/2025

“We live in a weird time.”

In this moment, Avery Anderson and Michele Smith pushes back on the fantasy of overnight success — the viral arcs, the instant wins, the idea that anything meaningful happens fast.

What actually lasts is quieter than that.

Showing up.
Year after year.
Doing the work when no one’s watching.
Building something that can hold weight.

It’s not glamorous.
But it’s sustainable.

And that’s the difference.

12/28/2025

What if the most radical thing we do right now
is honor choice—and bring a little light inside?

As Clareann Despain talks about feminism, family, and Raising Twelve on a Nickel and a Prayer, she reframes the holidays not as tradition—but as an act of care.

Because light matters most when it’s dark.

🎙️ Listen to the full conversation.

12/28/2025

Twenty-five years of women telling true stories—and a community that kept listening.

In this moment from the podcast, Clareann Despain reflects on the legacy of Powerstories and what it means to build a theatre rooted in the belief that everyone’s story matters.

It’s not just an anniversary.
It’s proof that storytelling still holds us together.

🎙️ Listen to the full conversation.

12/27/2025

Orange Blossoms are our way of pausing the scroll — a daily moment in December to recognize the people whose work doesn’t always come with a spotlight, but without whom Tampa Bay’s cultural life would be thinner, quieter, and easier to forget.

Today’s Orange Blossom goes to Bill DeYoung.

Bill isn’t just covering the arts. He’s documenting a region as it becomes itself.

Through decades of reporting — now at the St Pete Catalyst— his writing has helped connect artists and audiences, past and present, “high” and “low” culture, without ever flattening the work or chasing hype.

In a time when arts journalism is disappearing, Bill keeps asking the questions that actually matter:
Why this?
Why now?
Why should we care?

That work builds memory.
And memory builds community.

by Avery Anderson For building the cultural memory of a place. This December, Orange Blossoms are our way of slowing down in a fast news cycle — a daily pause to recognize the people whose work doesn’t always come with a spotlight, but without whom Tampa Bay’s cultural life

12/27/2025

“There is no straight line.”

In this clip, Michele Smith names something a lot of people only admit in private:
the journey isn’t A to B. It’s looping, messy, repetitive — and full of failure.

If you’re actually following your gut, you will lose money.
You will get it wrong.
You will carry grief, doubt, and setbacks alongside the wins.

The work isn’t avoiding those moments.
It’s learning how to use them as fuel.

This is what staying in it really looks like.