Metro Arts Commission Meeting - August 15, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Metro Arts Commission Meeting - August 15, 2024
The Metro Arts Commission held its regular monthly meeting on August 15, 2024, at 12:07 PM. The meeting included public comment, approval of previous minutes, an artist spotlight, approval of two public art design proposals, committee reports, and discussion of the Title VI conciliation agreement. Two new commissioners were welcomed, and several staff resignations were announced.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of the July 18, 2024 meeting were approved with an amendment to add the attendance of Commissioner Nichols Phillips.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ashley Batchelder (Metro Human Relations Commission, MHRC) stated that the conciliation agreement, finalized the previous week, fully resolves the Title VI complaint. She emphasized that the agreement should not be viewed as an endorsement of canceling or delaying current grant cycles, and respectfully objected to any conclusions positioning the complaint as the reason for such outcomes. She noted one more conciliation meeting will focus on policy changes from 2022-2023 and urged the commission not to overhaul grant programs in a way that disservices previous work.
- Ben Tran (new chair of MHRC) clarified that the conciliation agreement does not prohibit Metro Arts from proceeding with the current grant cycle, and specifically does not stipulate up-ending, delaying, or canceling any applications. He pointed to page six of the agreement, which calls for identifying a mechanism to distribute Thrive-like grants, and asked the commission to trust the work done to date and see this year's grants through.
Discussion Items
- Artist Spotlight: Sean Witzel, a playwright, actor, and founder of Destiny Theater Experience, performed a poem titled "231" from the perspective of a prison cell. He discussed his work with incarcerated individuals through the SALT program and his one-man show on solitary confinement. He also promoted upcoming performances at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival on September 14 and at Dark Horse Theater on August 23-24.
- Public Art Committee – Design Proposal for Strobel House: Jessica Ingram presented a design by local artist Omari Booker for Nashville's first permanent supportive housing. The design, informed by community engagement with unhoused populations, includes three-dimensional planters, a mural depicting a window view, and themes of transformation. The budget was shown. The commission voted unanimously to approve the design.
- Public Art Committee – Design Proposal for Z Alexander Luby Community Center: A design by Creative Girls Rock, led by Alicia Bemarozic, was presented for a mural honoring civil rights figures including Z Alexander Luby, Kwame Lillard, and others. The budget is low because Metro Arts will provide materials and installation. The commission voted unanimously to approve the design.
- Lending Library Exhibition: Data was shared: 113 artworks were purchased for a total of $61,045, with the average purchase price raised from $661 to $2,000. The exhibition at the Nashville Public Library Main Branch runs until August 16.
- Announcements: The Fairgrounds public art dedication will be on September 12. Jessica Ingram (Public Art Manager) and Darren Jackson (Communications Manager) both announced their resignations, effective after this meeting.
- Grants and Funding Committee: Commissioner Jester reported on the conciliation agreement, which sets deadlines for a working group to find a legal mechanism for Thrive grants (Oct 29, 2024 for options; Jan 6, 2025 for recommendations). For operating grants, the agreement requires new policies and procedures with a deadline of January 6, 2025. She stressed the need to move quickly and carefully. Attorney Tyler Yarbrough confirmed the working group is about the mechanism, not policy, and that the commission retains policy authority. He noted the deadlines are outer limits and can be met sooner.
- Care Committee: Commissioner Lefkowitz reported the committee is working on a definition of equity, with plans to engage the community and test the language as a living document for evaluating proposals.
- Budget and Oversight Committee: Commissioner Watts reported the committee is reviewing existing processes, procedures, and budgets. They will continue to assess administrative and human resource issues and ensure alignment with the commission's mission and values.
- Nominating Committee: Commissioner Wade reported the committee is developing a slate for chair, vice chair, and secretary. Elections are scheduled for September, and a special meeting may be called. Commissioner Love clarified she completed her term and is not resigning; current officers will remain until new ones are elected and take office in November.
- Interim Director's Report: Dr. Coleman thanked outgoing staff, welcomed new commissioners, and announced that two new commissioners (Gila Khalil and Sean Knight) will be confirmed on August 20, bringing the commission to 15 members. She discussed plans for a commissioner retreat, a handbook, and a state of Metro Arts report. She requested all managers to provide a two-to-three page summary of their portfolio by August 23, and hard copies of policies and procedures by August 31. She also detailed the conciliation agreement, noting that Thrive grants grew from $250,000 to $900,000 in FY24, but state law prohibits direct grants to individual artists, necessitating a new mechanism. The working group will meet bi-weekly, and the commission will receive regular reports. Staff vacancies will be filled.
- Resignation: Chris Sofote, Finance and Operations Director, announced his resignation, effective immediately.
Key Outcomes
- The commission approved the design proposal for Strobel House (Omari Booker) by a unanimous vote of 10-0.
- The commission approved the design proposal for Z Alexander Luby Community Center (Creative Girls Rock) by a unanimous vote of 10-0.
- The July 18 minutes were approved with an amendment.
- The conciliation agreement provides a structured path for grant programs, with deadlines for the working group and for new policies. The commission will continue to exercise policy authority.
- The nominating committee will present a slate of officers in September, with elections to follow.
- Staff resignations in public art, communications, and finance/operations will trigger recruitment efforts.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for your patience. Um, if you are in the audience, you know that parking was a little bit difficult, and so we were trying to find parking to make sure that we had our commissioners here and we had quorum. We do have um eight people here now, and so we are excited that we have made our quorum, and I do want to call our August meeting to order. It is now 1207. Um again, I want to welcome um everyone here. We do have uh a new commissioner with us. Um her first meeting. I would just give her a moment just to say hello, her name, and um, yeah, who she is, or anything she wants to say about herself before we get started. And make sure you hit the green button so we can all hear. Yes, okay. Wow, never done that before. Okay, I'm my name is Jesse Rosenbloom, and um I'm just very honored to be here. I've been involved with the national art community for several years, so I'm just excited to uh be part of it. Thank you. All right, thank you, Commissioner, and welcome. We are so excited to have you here. All right, we will do our land acknowledgement now, as we always do before our meetings and our um our committee meetings, and I'll just read it. Metro Art stands in whole space on the unceded and sovereign lands of the TRKEs, UT and Shawani peoples who have stored it for generations. Every community owes this existence and vitality to generations from around the world to who contributed their energy to make in the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in the hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. We acknowledge we are all standing on ancestral lands, and we honor the thousands of enslaved African peoples whose lives were physically and spiritually stolen. We pay respects to elders, past and present. Metro Arts invites you to join in our commitment to knowing our native communities in more meaningful ways in alignment with our restorative arts practice. All right, now we will have public comment. Um as a reminder. Yes, as a reminder, public comment is limited to two minutes with 20 minutes total for the entirety of our public comment period. Um you will have needed to sign in prior to the meeting. Um I'll ask um Ms. Vivian now. Do we have any uh people for public comment? We do, we have two. Okay. The first one is Miss Ashley Batchelder. And I'll let you know when your two minutes starts, and then I'll let you know when you are at your one minute mark. Hold on one second. All right, and your time starts now. Uh good afternoon, everyone. I'm Ashley Batchelder with the Metro Human Relations Commission. Last week we finalized a conciliation agreement between Metro Arts, Metro Legal, MHRC, and the complainants who filed a complaint with us last year. This serves as a full resolution of the Title VI complaint. And though we technically label this complaint as now resolved, it means that we now move into a compliance and monitoring phase of the Title VI process. Uh, you received from me yesterday a copy of the agreement and an explanation of its seven main points or terms. I'm here with the chair of the MHRC, and we're happy to answer any questions or be in dialogue with you about it today or any time as we move forward. What I wanted to comment about and just be very clear about is that we don't want this agreement to be viewed as either a tacit or explicit like endorsement of canceling or delaying any grants for the current fiscal year. And I will respectfully um object to any conclusions that position the Title VI complaint as the reason for either of those outcomes or similar outcomes. And as you know, uh we've been deep in the weeds with you all about this over the last year, and I hope that this body sees MHRC as a resource and not a detractor to the work that you um are working to accomplish together. And so to that end, uh I look forward to continuing to work with you all. And as described in the agreement, we have one more conciliation meeting with the MHRC, the Arts Commission, and the complainants, which is specifically focused on policy changes that were adopted from fall 2022 through 2023. And I understand from watching committee meetings that you are likely to propose a reset or a change or an overhaul of the grant programs, but I hope that this isn't done in a way that's a disservice to all of the work that current and previous commissioners' staff and community members have done in those policies.
openpublica.com