Artist and educator Debbie Garrett poses in front of her artwork. Image courtesy of Debbie Garrett.
Among community leaders who are making a change in the St. Petersburg area, artist, educator, and mentor Debbie Garrett advocates for creatives and youth while rallying support for environmental progress in the St. Pete area.
“My inspiration comes from wanting to live in a community where I can feel like my community is thriving around me,” said Garrett.
Garrett always felt like she was meant to serve and heal those around her. She’s an art teacher at Pinellas County Job Corps, where she’s taught for 15 years; is president and co-founder of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project, Inc. (PDAP); and is an award-winning independent filmmaker for her film series SIMI. She also curates the Black Art Film Festival and organizes the upcoming annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival.
Garrett will once more organize the Tampa Bay Chalk Festival on the Deuces [22nd Street South between 7th Ave S & 9th Ave S] on Saturday, May 2, 2026, with over 20 community artists creating with the theme “OUR WATERY FUTURES.” Image courtesy of Debbie Garrett
“As a teacher, I do ceramics, I paint, I draw, I sew, I crochet, I do so many different things. But most importantly, I try to show young people that art is a tool for distressing, meditation, for love, for beauty,” said Garrett.
Arist Myiah Moody Huff has been a regular chalk artist at the annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival on the Deuces, now in its fourth year. Image courtesy of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project and Tampa Bay Chalk Festival.
In addition to these roles, she’s also a photographer, cinematographer, Healing Touch Practitioner (level 3), works alongside Dreammakerz Production and the Sunshine City Film Festival, and serves as an event coordinator for Ladies in Film & Entertainment (L.I.F.E), and the list goes on. Ultimately, Garrett is a multifaceted artist who uses her advanced background to educate and open opportunities for those with limited resources in the artistic space.
“I cannot let my students come around me and not give them something that they can take away and give to somebody else later. It’s about paying it forward,” Garrett said.
Garrett traces her artistic journey back to her collegiate years. She attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and worked as a stagehand at the National Black Theatre in Harlem, where she handled various production work, including backdrops and artwork. She continued her arts studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she graduated with a degree in Visual Arts and Business Management, and was awarded the Excellence in Visual Arts Honor.
In the 30 years that Garrett has rooted herself in the Sunshine City, she’s helped push artistic boundaries and coax artistic awakenings in those interested in the medium. Since 2025, Garrett has served as PDAP’s president, embodying the nonprofit’s vision to strengthen its community by expanding access to arts, technology, media, and civic exchange. She hopes to build a community in St. Pete where individuals can coexist.
“We need an intersection of art mediums so people can just get a better understanding and look through the different lenses of art. I’m trying to strike up conversations to heal the community,” Garrett explained.
Through the various events and programs hosted by PDAP, this goal is within reach. On Saturday, May 2nd, the fourth annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival will commence on the sidewalks of 22nd Street South between 7th Ave S & 9th Ave S. This free community event is open to the public to create art: this year’s theme is “Our Watery Futures.” This year will also feature a tea ceremony, group art activity, and environmental discussion at WADA (Warehouse Arts District Association).
This event also comes at a critical time, as a historic water shortage is affecting residents in the Tampa Bay area, with officials citing it as one of Florida’s most severe water shortages in 50 years. Effective mid-March and early April of 2026, Tampa was declared a Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage due to severe drought. The 16-county region is working on implementing conservation guidelines. It has recently enforced a mandatory one-day-a-week watering restriction — reducing lawn watering during certain days/times based on residents’ addresses, according to Ian Oliver, Fox Weather’s meteorologist and host.
“If people will simply follow that restriction of water once a week, you can save up to 2500 gallons of water per day per irrigation cycle,” said the Chief Science Officer for Tampa Bay Water, Warren Hogg. “So we’re asking the public to step up and save water, help us extend the regional water supply, leave water in the environment.”
Artists at the 2nd annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival; Image courtesy of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project and Tampa Bay Chalk Festival.
Garrett advocates that the artists use the Chalk Festival as an “open art gallery” for the public. While focusing on the vitality of Tampa’s waterways, she urges attendees to take full advantage of the environmental discussion happening at WADA at noon.
“We need to start teaching our children how to conserve water,” said Garrett. “My concept is that the artists will be mindful of waterways and incorporate that in their artwork.”
Young artists draw on the sidewalk; Image courtesy of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project and Tampa Bay Chalk Festival.
The ultimate takeaway of the festival is to create a chain reaction of community. Garrett hopes eventgoers leave with a sense of duty and mindfulness regarding the city’s environment.
“Once people leave that community event, it’s up to them to spread that knowledge, to spread that joy, that information,” said Garrett.
According to Garrett, “Celebrating our role in caring for our global climate, the festival captures a theme educating our community on how they can be environmentally conscious and proactive stewards of the Earth while also creating a space for the youth to engage in artistic expression.” Image courtesy of Debbie Garrett
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Artists at the 2nd annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival; image courtesy of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project.
Attendees at the 2nd annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival. Image courtesy of Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project
An artist works on his chalk drawing at the 2nd annual Tampa Bay Chalk Festival.
