Margaret Murray steps into her new role as Creative Pinellas CEO on Jan. 22. Credit: Photo c/o Creative Pinellas

On Jan. 22, St. Pete-based arts administrator Margaret Murray steps into her new role as Creative Pinellas CEO.

For folks outside of the Tampa Bay arts community, Murray’s name doesn’t ring any bells. But for arts insiders, Murray is a local celebrity.

Murray is the subject of countless local headlines, which have charted her involvement in Tampa Bay’s arts community since 2001, when she programmed her first Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF).

Murray has worked in Tampa Bay’s art scene for more than two decades, launching a Jack Kerouac bike tour in St. Petersburg, curating programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, guiding TIGLFF through its 25th anniversary celebrations, and managing an emergency post-Irma fundraiser for freeFall Theatre.

Creative Pinellas started looking for Barbara St. Clair’s successor in the summer of 2023. The local arts agency, which fosters a vibrant arts community in Pinellas County, partnered with San Francisco-based Arts Consulting Group (ACG) and formed a search committee of six board members and four community advisors.

“ACG provided us with a choice of many extraordinary candidates from Florida and beyond,” Committee Chair (and former Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Editor-In-Chief) David Warner wrote in a press release. “The committee’s selection of Margaret Murray for the CEO position was driven by her unique combination of arts leadership, local connections, and far-reaching vision.”

Murray’s first task as CEO is to convene a series of community conversations to help focus Pinellas County’s cultural plan.

Murray—who grew up in St. Pete and holds a master’s degree in arts administration from the Savannah College of Art and Design—has already begun realizing her vision for Pinellas County’s art scene via her participation in Current (stylized “CURRENT”), Pinellas County’s first comprehensive cultural plan in 18 years.

“I am beyond thrilled to continue the work that the Creative Pinellas team has done to elevate the artistic and cultural communities of Pinellas County,” Murray said in a press release.

Throughout her career, Murray’s work has centered around the belief that art should be easily and freely accessible to all. Why? Because art makes communities better, down to improving public health and providing economic growth, said Murray.

“From Dunedin to Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg and beyond, the arts are part of our vocabulary,” Murray continues. “I look forward to expanding the ways that residents and visitors enjoy the bounty of arts experiences developed by the truly world-class artists and cultural organizations here on the Arts Coast.”

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