Q&A with Erica Sutherlin Artistic Executive Director • The Studio@620 Erica Sutherlin is a multihyphenate executive, filmmaker and theatrical director who serves as the artistic executive director of The Studio@620, an intimate space in St. Petersburg that fosters artists and creatives to present collaborative performances and exhibitions. I think one of the things that makes it exceptional is the intentionality behind it. St. Pete-Clearwater makes it a focus, and then they know they have to grow that focus. And then that’s a huge conversation, because first we have to educate people to understand that the art you speak of is not just visual art, it’s all the genres and they all require different things. WHAT MAKES ST. PETE-CLEARWATER’S ARTS SCENE EXCEPTIONAL? Communitywise, the visual arts. We are known for the murals; that’s the introduction to our art scene. But as a performing artist, as a director, I think what stands out for me is just how much performative art there is here, whether it’s theater, music — and that can be orches-tra or jazz and dance. WHAT ASPECT OF THE ARTS SCENE STANDS OUT THE MOST? Definitely our theatrical arts. We have all these new theaters and small theaters, and that’s what’s supposed to happen. I want small organiza-tions to start popping up, because it’s about an experience. It’s about connecting to the power of art. Sutherlin’s answers have been edited for length and clarity. WHAT ASPECT OF ST. PETE-CLEARWATER’S ARTS SCENE WOULD BE MOST SURPRISING TO A FIRST-TIME VISITOR? BEST MUSEUM Dunedin Fine Art Center & Children’s Art Museum The Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Pete Chihuly Collection, St. Pete The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, St. Pete THE DALÍ MUSEUM, ST. PETE VISITSPC.COM 63
Gulf To Bay St. Pete Clearwater FL Gulf to Bay 2026: Page 63
