Nashville artists and organizations who received funding from last year’s Metro Arts Thrive program should expect a letter in the next few days detailing how much money they will receive. The letters will include options for payment methods, and a process for correcting any errors in funding amounts.
This follows months of uncertainty dating back to last summer, when the Metro Arts Commission funded individual artists at high levels. The commission later redirected some of that money to larger arts organizations. Some artists complained to the Metro Human Relations Commission, which ruled last month that redirecting the funding was illegal.
Tessa Ortiz-Marsh, an attorney for Metro Legal, said letters to the artists and organizations will be in the mail Thursday.
Metro Finance and Metro Legal have taken charge of paying the artists as part of a larger plan to temporarily take over the Metro Arts budget. According to Metro Finance Director Kevin Crumbo, this is necessary because the arts agency is running a deficit.
This still leaves organizations who received Metro Arts operating grants waiting for half of their money. That funding also has been delayed for months. Ortiz-Marsh of Metro Legal says the details of those grant payments are still being worked out.
“The only thing is communication with Legal, Finance and Arts staff, as far as if an additional spend plan or a grant spend plan will be needed,” she said. “Once that’s decided, the letter process will take place for the (operations) grants.”
In a memo to the Metro Arts Commission, Crumbo said he hoped all payments will be made by the end of May.
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