The Emerging Artist Grant aims to support and build meaningful relationships among the outstanding creative artists in Pinellas County and their audiences. It provides a solid foundation to nurture the creative community and elevate Pinellas as an art and cultural destination that draws tourists worldwide.
With this focus in mind, Creative Pinellas provides up to ten grants for artists who are emerging in their artistic practice. Grantees will be assigned an artist mentor to help develop new artwork for the Emerging Artist Exhibition (EAE) in the Spring of 2024.
Meet the Artists
David McCauley
By David McCauley
David McCauley is an interdisciplinary artist based in St Petersburg, FL. Since 2012, he has founded multiple 501c3 organizations such as the Rise Up Gallery, Laundromat Art Space, Artillery Residency… Read More
Fran Failla
By Fran Failla
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Fran’s personal artistic journey began at a very early age. Given the opportunity in elementary school to take up painting, she quickly showed a special… Read More
Thomas Sayers Ellis
By Thomas Sayers Ellis
Poet, photographer, and bandleader Thomas Sayers Ellis is the author of The Maverick Room and Skin, Inc,: Identity Repair Poems, He co-founded The Dark Room Collective and The Dark Room… Read More
Antonia Lewandowski
By Antonia Lewandowski
A New York City native, Antonia Lewandowski moved to Florida in 1989. She is a poet and essayist. Her most recent project, featured at Creative Pinellas, was the spoken word… Read More
Tyler Gillespie
By Tyler Gillespie
Tyler Gillespie is an award-winning writer and educator. He’s written for Rolling Stone, GQ, The Washington Post, The Nation, Salon, and Playboy. His poetry appears in anthologies such as In… Read More
Gaby Rosa
By Gabriela Rosa
For the past five years, Gaby Rosa has blazed a trail as a full-time, professional fire and circus performer. Her journey commenced with fire dancing, a mesmerizing art form that… Read More
Kaitlin Crockett
By Kaitlin Crockett
Kaitlin Crockett is a printmaker, writer, book artist, educator, librarian, and owner of Print St. Pete. Primarily using analog methods like Letterpress and Risograph printmaking, she creates zines, publications, broadsides,… Read More
Vanessa Cunto
By Vanessa Cunto
Vanessa is a Florida native and local artist here in the city of St. Petersburg. She has always placed creativity at the core of her life, from her formative years… Read More
Luci Westphal
By Luci Westphal
Luci Westphal is a St. Petersburg photographer, filmmaker, writer, and mixed-media artist with a focus on social and biophilic art projects. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, she has lived and created… Read More
Harriet Monzon-Aguirre
By Harriet Monzon-Aguirre
Harriet Monzon-Aguirre is an oil painter creating out of Bahia Studios in Safety Harbor. She spent her early childhood and formative years on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Harriet earned… Read More
Follow their Story
The Push in the Pushcart Prize
By Antonia Lewandowski
The Push in the Pushcart Prize We who submit work to publishers, agents, magazines and literary journals know the odds. Nearly everything comes back with – generally – a polite… Read More
Not Just a Decoration
By Antonia Lewandowski
Not Just a Decoration The comma, that is. Commas, and punctuation in general, confuse many people. Maybe that’s why students and some writers avoid using them. I’ve been seeing more… Read More
Artist Mentors – The Greatest, Immeasurable Gift
By Luci Westphal
As our 2024 Emerging Artist Grant Cycle comes to a close (this is the last week, you can see our group exhibit), I want to highlight and celebrate one of… Read More
Why Poetry?
By Antonia Lewandowski
Why Poetry? A better question might be, why not? The story forms we currently rely on are video games, streaming, and maybe reality shows that package how we live or… Read More
Making-of Video and Art Talk for “Public Walls and In-Between Spaces” Installation
By Luci Westphal
On June 1st, I hosted an artist talk about my interactive mixed-media installation at the Creative Pinellas Gallery. As much as the opening reception in May was the highlight of… Read More
Learn more about the Grant
Emerging Artist Grant 24
The Emerging Artist Grant aims to support and build meaningful relationships among the outstanding creative artists in Pinellas County and their audiences. It provides a solid foundation to nurture the creative community and elevate Pinellas as an art and cultural destination that draws tourists worldwide…. Read More
Events
2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition: Opening Reception
Step into the world of creativity at the opening reception of the 2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas happening Thursday, May 9 from 6–8pm…. Read More
2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition
Discover the next wave of artists! Join us for a diverse and innovative exhibition of work showcasing the dynamic creations of our 2024 Emerging Artist grant recipients. This eighth annual… Read More
2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition – Artist Talks
From visual art to poetry to fire dancing, Artist Talks invite you to get to know the 2024 Emerging Artists through performances, readings, lectures, and intimate conversations at The Gallery at Creative Pinellas…. Read More
Archive of Emerging Artists
Emerging Artist Grant 23
Creative Pinellas is excited to announce the Emerging Artist Grantees of 2023!… Read More
Emerging Artist Grant 22
Creative Pinellas proudly congratulates this year’s group of award-winning grantees! Dorian Angello, Adam & Kayte Bush, Jon Ditty, Alex Kaufman, Teresa Mandala, Rachel Ratcliff, Heather Rippert, Ashley Rivers, Ketsy Ruiz,… Read More
Emerging Artist Grant 21
Emerging Artist Grants are designed to assist artists early in their career with the tools to make the leap to their next step as professional artists. Each year Creative Pinellas… Read More