Avery Anderson believes the fight for local arts can start with a yard sign.
After starting Tampa Bay Art Passport in May as a “cultural guide to Pinellas County,” Anderson gathered a community of dedicated arts lovers. Now, they’re turning that engagement into action.
This month, Tampa Arts Passport printed “Better Together” yard signs inspired by Pinellas County commissioners’ vote to eliminate county funding for Creative Pinellas. The $1.1 million cut—nearly half of its funds— resulted in the layoffs of about half its staff.
“Creative Pinellas has been such a force for artistic good,” Anderson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay over the phone last week. “It’s a real blow to the tapestry of this region, but Creative Pinellas is trying to move forward.”
Anderson’s “I support the Arts in Tampa Bay” yard signs, which feature Leo Gomez’s “Better Together” mural, are available for a $10-$20 donation. Proceeds go directly to Creative Pinellas.
They’re available online or at the next series of Tampa Bay Arts Passport events, which kick off Sunday, Oct. 5, with freeFall Theatre’s monthly book club.
A new way to discover the arts
Tampa Bay Art Passport offers readers a free newsletter. A paid option ($10 per month) unlocks discounts to local museums, theater shows, and events, as well as free books at monthly book clubs.
Three months in, Tampa Bay Arts Passport hit 400 email subscribers, with 10% as paid members, mostly through word of mouth and social media, Anderson said.
Longtime arts reporter, critic and former CL Editor-In-Chief David Warner recently awarded it a Best of the Bay staff pick for “Best New Resource for Arts Coverage.”
Welcome to Creative Loafing’s Best of The Bay 2025
At a time when being online can be insufferable, and taking care of business in the real world gets overwhelming, these winners give us a chance to log off, take a breath, and check out that cool thing our neighbors are up to.
After a decade in the media business, Anderson decided to start their own blog to fill a gap in local reporting, including a lack of coverage for lesser-known artists. Anderson was tired of seeing “things to do” roundups without in-depth analysis on how the programming is a part of the area’s larger arts ecosystem.
As a freelance marketing and development consultant, they also understand how hard it is for organization—specifically in performing arts—to connect with audiences.
“I wanted something different—smart, human-centered coverage that’s rooted in the community,” Anderson said. “What makes us different is we’re not chasing clicks or trying to ‘sell’ culture; we’re building a community around it.”
They’re the singular force behind Tampa Bay Art Passport, running everything from weekly stories and social media to events organizing and initiatives like the local yard signs.
Through Passport events, Anderson’s subscribers go behind the scenes with backstage tours, first rehearsals, talkbacks, private previews and book clubs tied to local productions.
Their goal: make people feel like they are inside the creative process, not just watching from the outside.
“There are so many cultural offerings in Tampa Bay, and it can kind of get a little daunting at times to navigate it all,” Anderson said.
“I think we often forget that these artists are our neighbors. They are just people like you and me, and so (I’m) really trying to humanize them and show the stories behind them.”
Arts Passport Book Club: Lies in Bones
Time Sun., Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 2025
Location Freefall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Arts Passport: Film Screening – Hidden Figures
Time Sun., Oct. 12, 6-9 p.m. 2025
Location Green Light Cinema, 221 2nd Ave North, Saint Petersburg
Arts Passport Night: Phantom of the Opera – 100 Anniversary
Time Fri., Oct. 24, 7-9 p.m. 2025
Location Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St, Tampa
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
Recent Stories
New documents suggest VSPC might work with Creative Pinellas on new competitive arts tourism grants
Column: Despite 5-2 vote to defund Creative Pinellas, there might still be time to save the county’s arts nonprofit
Column: Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott’s argument to defund Creative Pinellas doesn’t hold water
This article appears in Sept. 25 – Oct. 1, 2025.