How a Juilliard-Trained Dancer Is Reframing St. Pete’s Arts Future
When Helen French stepped into the role of Executive Director of the St. Pete Arts Alliance, she brought more than a résumé — she brought a lifetime steeped in movement, discipline, and community-building. In this candid 70-day check-in, Helen talks about: 🔹 balancing leadership with motherhood (“I have more good days than bad days”) 🔹 her ninth-grade spreadsheets mapping a path to Juilliard 🔹 the early arts-admin instincts she picked up in New York 🔹 co-founding Beacon and shaping the p...
When Helen French stepped into the role of Executive Director of the St. Pete Arts Alliance, she brought more than a résumé — she brought a lifetime steeped in movement, discipline, and community-building.
In this candid 70-day check-in, Helen talks about:
🔹 balancing leadership with motherhood (“I have more good days than bad days”)
🔹 her ninth-grade spreadsheets mapping a path to Juilliard
🔹 the early arts-admin instincts she picked up in New York
🔹 co-founding Beacon and shaping the performing arts scene
🔹 what voids she sees in St. Pete’s arts ecosystem today
🔹 and how a three-person staff can still dream big
This is a conversation about vision, advocacy, and what it takes to build an arts community that supports the people making the work.
🎧 Full transcript + article on The Arts Passport
📍 Featuring: Helen French, Executive Director, St. Pete Arts Alliance
🗓 Recorded in Tampa, FL
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