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Despite a delay in the search for a permanent executive director and multiple managerial resignations, Metro Arts is beginning to show signs of life after a year of problems.
Following a botched grants process for fiscal year 2024, which led to independent artists and arts organizations not receiving their funds for months, the future of Metro Arts Commission grants has been shrouded in uncertainty.
Now Metro Arts, Metro Legal, Metro Finance, the Metro Human Relations Commission and independent artists who filed complaints over the past year’s events have finalized a conciliation agreement that has shed some light on when the Nashville arts community could begin to see funding again. However, the details on when grants will flow remain muddy, and it seems leadership on the issue will happen under an interim director.
Paulette Coleman named to position as status of Director Daniel Singh remains up in the air
Paulette Coleman was appointed interim executive director in April. Metro Human Relations director Shannon Hall explained that a nationwide search for a permanent executive director could take up to six months once it began. But Coleman revealed on Thursday that it will likely be much longer.
“When I spoke with [Hall], she told me that ... Metro was in the middle of a number of key searches for executive directors, and it would be several months before they got to us,” says Coleman.
Coleman will now preside over Metro Arts for at least the remainder of the year, and will be tasked with ushering in a new era for the body, ideally including a much smoother and equitable grants process.
“The outer deadline for publishing grant policies and procedures is Jan. 6, 2025,” Tyler Yarbro, who is representing Metro Arts in conciliation talks, said at Thursday’s Metro Arts Commission meeting. “Nothing precludes you from moving faster than that. And obviously, you are being encouraged to do so.”
As a part of the conciliation agreement, a work group is being formed consisting of a member of the Metro Arts Commission as well as representatives from the MHRC, Metro Finance, Metro Legal and a representative of the Nashville arts community. That group will establish a “mechanism” for distributing funds to independent artists, which has historically been accomplished through a program called Thrive. One result of the past year’s issues was the revelation by Metro Legal and Metro Finance that Thrive had not been adhering to state laws and local rules.
But this was met with public outcry from advocates and independent artists in Nashville. The past problems largely stem from a Metro Arts Commission decision in summer 2023 to reverse the approval of a grants formula that would have provided unprecedented levels of funds to independent artists, and instead go with a formula that largely focused on arts organizations that had historically received funding.
Daniel Singh gets $200,000 in deal as commission looks to put the chaos of last year behind it
After months of twists and turns and the eventual resignation of Metro Arts director Daniel Singh — who was paid $200,000 to resign as a part of a settlement agreement with Metro — all the artists who were promised funding in the original formula got paid out, along with the arts organizations who were promised funding in the later formula.
However, the long year left much of the arts community wary of what the future of Metro Arts grants would look like, and the immediate concern was whether Thrive could continue.
“The term used in the agreement is 'Thrive-like,' because Thrive as we know it — that mechanism can no longer exist,” said Yarbro. “So the working group is charged with finding the new mechanism to carry out the same purposes.”
Yarbro said the group could convene as soon as in the next few days and will draw on “broad public engagement.” Once a mechanism is established, the Metro Arts Commission will vote on its approval.
During the meeting, Metro Arts Commission Grants and Funding Committee chair Tim Jester read a statement explaining that operating grant policies and procedures would be developed and rolled out on a similar timeline, with a publishing deadline of Jan. 6. During a meeting of the Grants and Funding Committee on Monday, both Jester and Metro Arts Strategic Grants and Initiatives manager Sydnie Davis indicated that applicants might have to redo their applications due to changes to the process.
“In the last few days, I have received a tremendous amount of feedback about the harm that will come from not doing our best to utilize the currently submitted operating grant applications, both because of the time it will take to submit new applications and because of the time it will take to create new guidelines,” said Jester. “I can only address these well-founded concerns by saying it is a top priority to move carefully and expediently as possible as we work together to put Metro Arts back on a workable path over the next few weeks.”
Meanwhile, the Metro Arts Commission is on track to have a full 15-member roster for the first time in more than a year by the end of this month. Throughout 2023 and into 2024, the commission was plagued by resignations, and had multiple issues with meeting a quorum.
While the days of constant resignations from the commission itself may be over, the agency is losing staff members. Finance director Christiana Afotey, communications manager Daryn Jackson and public art manager Jessica Ingram all announced Thursday that they had tendered their resignations.
The Banner reached out to all three but did not receive a response in time for publication.
