Creative Pinellas Announces Opening of Arts BusinessξIncubator

[su_carousel source=”media: 8806,8799,8797,8795,8794,8787,8786,8785,8784,8783,8782″ link=”lightbox” title=”no”]

Creative Pinellas, the Countyäó»s Local Arts Agency, announced the launch of its new Arts BusinessŒæIncubatorŒæand is seeking expressions of interest from area arts and cultural nonprofits.Œæ TheŒæIncubatorŒæis located on the grounds of the former Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo.Œæ It features comfortable private offices and co-working spaces at very reasonable rents and is organized similarly to popular hi-techŒæincubators, but with a specific focus on nonprofit arts organizations that support artists and the arts in Pinellas County.

äóìThe Arts BusinessŒæIncubatorŒæis our newest initiative,äó says Barbara St. Clair, Executive Director of Creative Pinellas, äóìand we believe it will fulfill an important need in our community.Œæ It provides affordable office and meeting space äóñ something that, speaking from experience, can be hard to come by äóñ and it gives Creative Pinellas and other arts and cultural nonprofit organizations the opportunity to partner with each other and benefit from that incredible magic that happens when you purposefully put energized and creative people together.äó

Located at 12211 Walsingham Road on the grounds of the Pinewood Cultural Center in Largo, theŒæIncubatorŒæis situated between Heritage Village and the Florida Botanical Gardens.Œæ There are seven private offices available as well as co-working space for organizations that donäó»t need full-time office space.ŒæIncubatorŒæparticipants will have access to Wi-Fi, a large conference room, a class room, mail room and resource center, kitchen/dining area as well as basic administrative support.Œæ Rents for comfortably-sized private offices are expected to be around $140 – $150 per month.Œæ Organizations that opt for co-working space instead of individual offices can expect to pay about $38 per month.

All participants will have access to a collaborative working environment, shared business services, learning and mentoring space and the opportunity to tap into the skills and abilities of the participating organizations.ξ Additionally, participants will be asked to commit to having a presence on site for an agreed-upon number of hours, to volunteer on a regular basis and to participate in workshops andξincubatorξevents.

äóìTheŒæIncubatorŒæis the culmination of months of effort and a great deal of thought and energy about how to build on and support a successful arts community. In this time, we have discovered how to leverage existing resources and assets to support the arts community, residents, and visitors to Pinellas County, both now and in the future,äó says St. Clair. äóìThis is a very exciting moment for Creative Pinellas and for the nonprofit organizations that we support, and we look forward to a successful launch and to continued success of this and related projects.äó

To find out more about the Creative Pinellas Arts BusinessξIncubator, or to express an interest in participating, please go toξhttps://gulfmanagementsystemsinc.com/incubatorξor contact Creative Pinellas Administrator Samantha Samson atξsamantha.samson@arts-src-wp.sptechteam.netξorξ727-582-2174