Creative Pinellas is launching “Making Waves,” a new cultural tourism pilot program, in spring 2026.
Scheduled in April and May, “Making Waves” will showcase “the dynamic intersection of art, nature, and community across Pinellas County” through a “countywide series of exhibitions, performances, and creative experiences in parks, on beaches, within preserves, and in galleries and unexpected locations,” a Creative Pinellas press release says.
Creative Pinellas is currently accepting artist applications for the grant program that will fund “Making Waves,” the arts agency’s 2025-26 Artist Impact Fund. Interested Pinellas-based artists have an August 31st deadline to apply for funding to support “environmentally focused, site-specific projects.”
“This year’s grants are more than just funding,” Creative Pinellas CEO Margaret Murray says in a press release. “They are an invitation for artists to become environmental storytellers. We believe art has the power to change how people see and care for the places they love, and these grants are designed to spark that connection across our community and beyond.”
Creative Pinellas plans to award 20 to 21 artist grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. The plan is one $10,000 grant, two $7,000 grants, 13 $5,000 grants, and four or five $3,000 grants.
“Artists are encouraged to explore themes of sustainability, ecology, and community through visual art, performance, music, film, writing, and interdisciplinary practices,” the press release says. “Selected projects will be installed or performed in public spaces throughout the county, from nature preserves and trails to beaches and public parks.”
Creative Pinellas is also accepting applications through August 31st for its Arts Ignite Fund, which provides up to $500 to help artists close a budget gap for a current or upcoming project.
For more information, go to Creative Pinellas artist grants
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