Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Metro Human Relations Commission Executive Director Davie Tucker have expressed their approval following the recent ratification of a conciliation agreement by the Metro Human Relations Commission. This agreement, approved earlier this week, aims to extend funding to muralists and small or micro-organizations, while also streamlining the processes and procedures associated with Metro Arts grants.
Mayor O’Connell emphasized the significance of this development, stating, “This is an important step forward, and I appreciate everyone who worked to fully fund our artists and set a framework for future equitable arts grant programs. Nashville is a strong community of thriving arts organizations and artists. Our creative class is an instrumental part of the fabric of the community and makes us uniquely Nashville.”
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Davie Tucker, Executive Director of the Metro Human Relations Commission, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the collaborative effort involved. “Three months ago, representatives from multiple Metro departments and communities committed to participate in a conciliation process,” Tucker noted. “To do so voluntarily, committed all of us to resolve this issue and to not focus on the faults of one side or another. Yesterday’s conciliated agreement speaks to what is possible in a city of divergent ideas and the many societal issues that we face.”
Key points of the conciliation agreement include:
– The Department of Law will allocate an additional $565 thousand in funding to muralists and small, micro-organizations. Payments have already been made to nearly all other artists and arts organizations involved in the 2024 grant cycle.
– The agreement allows for an extended reporting period for artists and permits spending on any arts project during the grant period if the original project is now unfeasible due to funding delays.
– The agreement mandates collaboration between the Metro Departments of Law and Finance, the Arts Commission, the Metro Human Relations Commission, Metro Council, and other stakeholders to establish a legal framework to support the Thrive Program or similar initiatives that provide payments to individual and independent artists.
– The Metro Nashville Arts Commission will engage the community to develop new grant policies and procedures.
Three independent legal counsels have been instrumental in formulating this conciliation agreement, which Mayor O’Connell described as a fresh start for the arts in Nashville. The agreement will next be presented to the Metro Nashville Arts Commission for a vote at an upcoming meeting.
Source: Read Original Release