Metro Arts director Daniel Singh has agreed to resign after less than two years on the job. Singh presided over a chaotic grant funding cycle where artists and arts nonprofits waited months to receive the money they were promised.
Singh’s resignation was approved by the Metro Arts Commission at a specially-called meeting on Friday. In return, he’ll receive a $200,000 settlement payment from the city government.
That settlement will prevent Singh from suing Nashville, Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said during the meeting.
“Director Singh will execute a document that has a full release of all claims, and he will will agree to dismiss his complaint that he filed a few months ago with the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. So this is a walk-away agreement on both sides,” Dietz said.
Singh’s critics point to the payment delays and severe mistrust between the director and some of his staff as proof of ineffective leadership. His supporters, however, say he helped marginalized independent artists receive a record amount of city funding.
The agency’s new interim director, Paulette Coleman, has a series of challenges ahead of her, including finishing up last year’s delayed grant payments, building trust with staff and the arts community, and figuring out how to do the most with a tight budget.
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