The Studio@620 has expanded its arts and education programming with support from the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, according to a May 29 announcement. The partnership began in 2024 when the Foundation issued a capacity-building grant to help the studio enhance its social media and marketing efforts, followed by a Catalytic Accelerator Grant in 2025 supporting the innovative Sankofa Series.
The Sankofa Series is inspired by the Akan word ‘Sankofa,’ meaning ‘to go back and get it.’ The series revisits earlier American theater works, bringing them into contemporary contexts. Some of these works were originally written for all-white casts, while others were created by playwrights of color who lacked resources for high-caliber productions.
Artistic Executive Director Erica Sutherlin said, “I’m not trying to say, ‘oh, people of color can play those roles.’ I think an actor can play a role. What I’m trying to say is look how human we all are, look at our similarities, see how we all exist in America and are trying to figure out the conundrum of the American dream, of what happened here and how we can survive racism and systemic policies and economics. All of us are in this thing we call a melting pot trying to figure out the flavor. And the more we can have these conversations about different aspects of living, the more we can start to resonate with each other and understand.”
Sutherlin also said she does not expect everyone to agree on every aspect of Studio@620’s art: “The goal, for me, is to have a little bit of something for everyone so that the Studio feels like home, like belonging,” Sutherlin said. “It’s important that everyone sees themselves reflected in art. That makes us want to pour into our community, into those organizations that see us and understand us. It’s also important for art to create conversation, whether you’re comfortable or sitting in your discomfort, which is also healthy.”
She added: “We may not walk away from art in agreement on everything, but we walk away with a different understanding of a person and where an idea is coming from… and if there’s a possibility to move forward, then how… and if not, why not.”
Since its founding, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg has invested over $32 million in grants supporting more than 488 initiatives—including mission-related efforts—and advances racial equity through community change strategies targeting social determinants of health; it also oversees venues such as the Center for Health Equity while maintaining ties with groups like Grantmakers in Health, according to its official website.
