The Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in St. Petersburg, Florida, dedicated to building and sustaining a vibrant arts community that supports the success of artists and the community at-large through community revitalization, marketing, advocacy, and arts education.
WADA’s seven-acre ArtsXchange (AX) Campus is home to over 30 subsidized artist studios, three galleries, the Rosie Cohen Stage, the Academy of Ballet Arts, and a range of creative small businesses, including a ceramics studio, a coffee shop and a luthier, that receive below-market rent as part of WADA’s commitment to local creative and economic development. The Campus welcomes more than 10,000 visitors annually. Under the leadership of Executive Director Markus Gottschlich, WADA was named the #3 Arts District in the United States by USA Today in 2025 and #1 Arts Advocacy Organization in 2024 for its response to state funding cuts.
In recent years, WADA has doubled contributions, tripled grant income, and quadrupled event revenue while expanding free arts education in underserved South St. Petersburg neighborhoods, launching relief programs for displaced artists, and advancing a workforce housing initiative for artists. WADA has become a national model for artist-led community revitalization.
