Metro Arts continues to grapple with allegations of racism after terminating one of its only managers of color

Metro Arts has been in the spotlight after current and former staffers alleged a hostile work environment for people of color. Now the department’s latest move is drawing backlash from the arts community.

Earlier this year, grants manager Janine Christiano was one of a handful of women who filed complaints against the director of Metro Arts, Caroline Vincent. Vincent ultimately resigned from her position.

Now, a few months after filing her complaint, Christiano has been terminated. And a petition to “save Metro Arts” has begun circulating. So far, more than 175 people have signed.

The situation inside the department is especially eye-opening because Metro Arts is one of the biggest funders of Nashville’s art ecosystem, and has held outside groups to high standards when it comes to racial equity work.

Many of those recipients are now calling for the chair of the arts commission, Jim Schmidt, and the interim executive director, Ian Myers, to resign.

They say, “The Arts Commission has fully lost the trust of the arts community.”

“It is hard to believe they can carry out the important work of — as the mission statement says — ‘ensuring that ALL Nashvillians have access to a creative life,’ when that does not even apply to Metro Arts Staff,” the petition reads.

Myers brought disciplinary charges against Christiano for “abusive conduct creating an intimidating environment” and “failure of good behavior.” The charges were based on complaints filed against Christiano by Vincent before she left, as well as Metro Arts public art project coordinator, Atilio Murga.

The department says it went through the proper channels before reaching the determination that Christiano should be fired.

“After consulting with Metro HR, and Metro’s DEI leaders, as the current Metro Arts appointing authority, I felt the that termination was the only option for discipline to maintain a suitable working environment for all Arts employees,” Myers wrote in a statement.

Christiano believes her termination is retaliation for raising her voice about conditions inside the department. She plans to file an appeal against the decision.

“I believe my current colleagues and future Metro Arts staff will be afraid and unwilling to speak out and question any unfair or harmful practices within the agency,” Christiano wrote in a statement, “which will certainly have negative consequences for all of Nashville, especially artists and creatives of color in the community.”