Nashville arts organizations are upset over a last minute change to city’s budget. The Metro Arts Commission saw 258-thousand dollars cut from its budget Tuesday. In what was seen as a shot at the Mayor, Councilman Charlie Tygard successfully argued for an amendment that moved the money to the Sheriff’s department.
The arts commission awards grants to non profit organizations such as Cheekwood, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the People’s Branch Theatre. The Art Director there, Matt Chiorini says the new budget likely means cutbacks for all arts organizations, including his theatre.
“It’s gonna hurt our ability to hire artists, it’s gonna hurt our ability to keep people employed in town, and it’s gonna hurt our ability to take this out of the Belcourt where we perform and do our outreach. The fact is the arts in Nashville literally raise millions of dollars in revenue each year so this is kind of a slap in the face.”
The Metro Arts 2.3-million dollar budget included no improvements over last year. Officials there are currently in the process of deciding how to allocate money for next year’s projects.
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