Metro Arts Commission Meeting – October 23, 2024
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Metro Arts Commission Meeting – October 23, 2024
The Metro Arts Commission convened on October 23, 2024, at 10:00 AM. The meeting included public comment, committee updates, a lengthy discussion on grant criteria and community engagement, and approval of the Community Arts Leaders of Nashville (CALN) program. Key speakers included commissioners, staff, Metro Legal, Nashville City Councilmember Styles, and the executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission (MHRC).
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the September 26, 2024 meeting were approved by voice vote (all in favor).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Davy Tucker (Executive Director, Metro Human Relations Commission) urged the commission not to approve any criteria or allocations today, arguing that the conciliation agreement settling a Title VI claim had not been followed “to the letter nor the spirit.” He requested that commissioners educate themselves on the complaint and the agreement before moving forward.
- Councilmember Styles (District 35) provided procedural guidance, emphasizing that council prefers a single, cohesive grant plan covering both operating support and Thrive, and that meaningful community engagement must occur before legislation is introduced. She warned that “vultures are circling” for unallocated budget funds.
- A representative of MHRC (later in the discussion) stated that separating Thrive from operating grants would not be supported, as Thrive is integral to achieving equity under the conciliation agreement.
Discussion Items
- Public Art Committee (PAC) Update – Commissioner West reported that no PAC meeting was held in October due to projects closing out or in design development. A three-page handout of current and upcoming projects was distributed.
- Budget & Administrative Oversight Committee Update – Commissioner Watts reported the committee met September 17. Topics included FY24 closeout, FY25 budget work, audit updates, and conciliation meetings. Staff identified and began updating administrative procedures. A motion to dissolve the committee was raised but not acted upon.
- Grants & Funding Committee Report – Commissioner Jester reported that the committee met earlier in the week and voted to recommend approval of funding criteria, but with conditions: a plan for community engagement and legal review. As of the meeting, Metro Legal had not been given sufficient time to review; community engagement was lacking. Commissioner Lefkowitz expanded on the need for transparency, noting that a process outlined in August by Tessa Ortiz Marsh (Metro Legal) had not been followed. She proposed a series of steps including scheduling committee meetings, widely disseminating guidelines, and creating data visualizations.
- Grant Criteria & Thrive Working Group – Interim Director Dr. Coleman provided context: the proposed allocation splits $3.2 million as $2.3 million for General Operating Support (GOS) and $900,000 for Thrive, based on last year’s Thrive level. He noted the Thrive working group (part of the conciliation agreement) must present a plan by January 5, 2025. The group is considering fiscal agent models but has not defined the program. Legal counsel Tessa Ortiz Marsh clarified she needed a one-week buffer to review final policy for legal sufficiency; she had received the scoring rubric and selection panel criteria only the evening before. Discussion revealed that the commission had not yet decided the allocation split between GOS and Thrive—a policy decision the commission must make.
- CARE Committee Report – Commissioner Hardin reported the committee lacked quorum at its last meeting but is close to finalizing an equity definition. He suggested CARE could host community engagement sessions for the grant process.
- Community Arts Leaders of Nashville (CALN) Program – Restorative Arts Manager Josiah Golson presented the CALN program, which provides paid internships at Nashville arts organizations for undergraduate students, prioritizing Pell Grant recipients. Funding comes from a separate restorative arts line item ($88,100 in the current budget). Fifteen host sites applied; the fall semester was paused due to Metro Arts’ transition. The request was to approve criteria, applications, and move to council for spring 2025 implementation.
Key Outcomes
- Grant Criteria Deferred – The commission effectively deferred action on the grants and funding committee’s recommendation to approve funding criteria. No formal vote was taken; continued discussion and submission of questions to staff were agreed upon. The plan will return after legal review, completion of the Thrive working group plan, and actual community engagement (not just a plan).
- CALN Program Approved – A motion to approve funding and operations of the CALN program for internships from January 1 to June 30, 2025, was made. An amendment to stipulate that these funds are separate from the operating/thrive grant program (coming from the restorative arts budget) was adopted. The amended motion passed on a roll-call vote: 11 in favor (Kurtz, Lefkowitz, Jester, Kuleo, Nichols Phillips, Rosenbloom, Wade, Watts, West, and others), 0 opposed.
- New Staff Introduction – Fred Adam was introduced as the new part-time senior finance person. He will assist with financial accountability, audit findings, and staff training.
- Next Steps – Commissioners were asked to compile questions on the grant criteria and submit them to staff and legal. The working group will continue meeting on Thrive. The CARE committee will work on finalizing an equity definition and may host community engagement sessions. Metro Arts must also submit a financial report to council per the budget ordinance to release grant funds.
Meeting Transcript
Commissioner Love will be here a little bit later, so I'll be chairing until she arrives. Um so we'll use this as the call to order, and thank you again for being here. Commissioner Lefkowitz is going to read our land acknowledgement. Metro Art stands and holds space on the unceded and sovereign lands of the Cherokee East, Yuchi, and Shawnee, Shawanaki peoples, who have stewarded it for generations. Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their energy to making 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. Thank you, Commissioner Lefkowitz. Um at this point, we are calling for public comments. Ms. Fox, do we have any? Oh, so sorry. Oh, so sorry. Um first we will introduce our and welcome our new commissioners, Sean Knight. Welcome. We're glad to have you. And Gilla Khalil, I always mess up your name. Um okay, perfect. Um, but it's good to see you, and um welcome. Thank you. Okay. And at this time, we'd like to do a call for public comment. Ms. Fox, is there anyone on the list? Yes, we have one public comment, Mr. Davy Tucker. If you can step to the mic, and I'll let you know when you are at one minute. Are you ready? Your time starts now. Good morning to this commission and good morning to all of the new art arts commissioners. I am Davy Tucker, the executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission. I can tell you now that my comments, which are limited in this format and context to two minutes, uh, it's not all that I want to say. So I just want to cut right across the field that um metro legal, metro arts, and MHRC entered into a conciliated agreement to settle a Title VI claim. That agreement is what should inform you of how you go forward in doing your job. What I want to bring up here is that not only is it legal and binding, all of the parties. I know we did, we negotiated in good faith. One minute. And right now it's a bit out of whack. So we hope that as you move forward, that you would educate yourself on the complaint and the conciliated agreement and what it means as you attempt to do your job. We made this settlement in the best interest of Nashville and the arts ecosystem. And so as that our part, we're gonna push our part. And so we're here. We've always extended ourselves to the entire commission and staff to help through this. But there are some dates that are out of place that I would urge you not to approve any criteria or allocations today, because you are you have not followed to the letter, nor the spirit in my opinion of the conciliated agreement. We'll be here all the information, whatever it is you'd like to know, but that is our request on today. Thank you very much. That concludes our public comment.
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