An embattled Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) Board met for the last time this year to approve 2024 grants to artists and review staff salaries. The chaotic meeting set off increased criticism from artists and members of the public in attendance, and prompted an apology of sorts from CAC Board President Nancy Mendez.
A recent report from ISO Arts Consulting commissioned by CAC revealed an artist community expressing a wide range of emotions, including anger, exhaustion, frustration, hopelessness, and sadness related to a deep perception of disrespect by CAC, and recommended that CAC explicitly acknowledge and apologize for the strained relationship between CAC and local artists.
“We are sorry that relations between too many of our local artists and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture have become strained,” said Mendez, reading from a prepared script at the opening of the meeting. “We know that there has been confusion about CAC’s purpose and our challenges in making it clear that CAC was created to fund nonprofits.” Mendez added, “We know that any apology must be backed by action.”
The apology was meant to soothe relations between CAC and the public. What it did instead, during a meeting that lasted three-and-a-half hours, was bring the issue of funding for individual artists to the forefront. Attendees took over the meeting held on the second floor of the Cleveland Public Library, calling for reforms and a change in leadership. The CAC offered them a little more money.
CoolCleveland first reported in March of this year that funds earmarked for the Support for Artists program were instead used to keep funding levels at the nonprofits stable at a time when dwindling tax revenue was forcing cuts to them. In response, Paulsen sent a torrid email to 45 major constituents, claiming that CoolCleveland lied and provided misinformation, claims that are not valid.
Mendez’s apology did not include an explanation, nor did Paulsen comment on the attempt to discredit the media. There was also no mention of the a recent report ISO prepared by the Assembly for the Arts, which criticized CAC and Paulsen for damaging community relations through deception, lying and manipulation.
During public comments, artist/arts activist Liz Maugans told artists not to support the levy under the current administration. Happy Dog co-owner and music venue advocate Sean Watterson read from Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3381, Arts and Cultural Affairs, approved by voters in 2004 and renewed in 2015, as the basis for creating CAC. “The language used [by your apology] about the purpose of CAC to fund nonprofits skews reality,” said Watterson. “The reality is that funds are used for arts and culture.”
After he sat down, Paulsen told Watterson that he did not understand the code and that CAC had a right to self-determination.
Her reply was met with a disbelieving gasp from the audience. “Are you kidding?” shouted Watterson.
In a stunning reversal, Mendez acknowledged that CAC had deliberately not paid out grants to individual artists totaling more than $400,000 in 2018 and 2019. Despite Paulsen’s vehement denials of wrongdoing, Mendez said the artist’s money was “put into the general operating support.” The board was never told by Paulsen that the money wasn’t spent on artist funding.
“We owe them that money,” said board member Charna Sherman, whose term will expire in March 2024. “Then we cheated them out of another $140,000 in the December 2021 board meeting. We have always intended, at a minimum, for the artist community to get $400,000 a year.”
A chain of orders from the board to the executive director, in emails provided to the public during the meeting, showed several consistent attempts by Sherman to direct CAC staff to keep the funds in the Support for Artists program and roll over to the following year. Paulsen agreed to the carryover or reallocation in at least two separate reports to the Board of Trustees. The unused dollars ranged from $340,000 to $276,000 in 2018 and 2019.
“We have committed to carryover unexpended dollars related to the Support for Artists program from 2018 to 2019. The budget for this program was $400k in 2018 with the same commitment in FY19.” (from page 16, Executive Director Report to the CAC Board of Trustees meeting on September 12, 2018)
“By the end of the year, we expect to have expended about $60,000 related to the Support for Artists program and will therefore carry over or reallocate the $340k not expended in 2018 to the 2019 budget.” (page 10, Executive Director Report to the CAC Board of Trustees meeting on November 13, 2018)
During a closed session that left the public waiting for over an hour, the board reportedly agreed to a cost of living increase for the seven full-time staff members. Executive director Jill Paulsen’s salary last year was $160,680. Meg Harris, Director of Administration, was $91,345. Director of Grantmaking Strategy and Communications Jake Sinatra paid $83,430, while grants managers Julia Carey, Maya Curtis and Dyvon Nichols were each paid about $56,000. Laura Metto, Associate, Grantmaking and Communications, earned $44,720. The operating budget for the publicly funded institution is more than $1 million a year, making it one of the highest-funded organizations in its funding portfolio.
Upon reconvening, a motion was made by Sherman to reinstate the money meant for individual artists. Sherman reminded the board that Support for Artists program money was misused to keep the nonprofits from getting less, and giving it back to artists was the right thing to do.
Board member Michele Scott Taylor disagreed. Watterson had left the meeting by then, frustrated by the inability of the board to reign in the chaos and Paulsen to forge a clear answer.
“The crazy out here,” Taylor said, pointing to the people in the room, “and the crazy out there in the community says we shouldn’t have a levy; we can’t have a levy. The money is being stolen. All these wild statements are why I am worried that the $400,000 might take us over the edge.”
A motion by Sherman to include the $400k in the Support for Artists program, to be administered by the Assembly for the Arts, was not seconded. Mendez settled on $100k, which passed by a majority.
Following a brief report by Assembly President/CEO Jeremy Johnson, Taylor wanted a commitment to reinstate or unpause the levy campaign, halted by Fred Bidwell, chairman of the Cleveland-based Arts & Culture Action Committee. Bidwell wants reforms to Cuyahoga Arts and Culture before a campaign to place a new levy on the ballot.
Johnson does not have the authority to make such a public proclamation. It did not stop newly appointed board member Daniel Blakemore from leaning into the microphone and insisting on reinstating the levy campaign.
“The public perception from Fred [Bidwell’s] op-ed is that the fundraising is not happening,” said Blakemore angrily, “so the public needs to hear that the work is continuing. I want to hear it from the board, and I want to hear it in public, ideally from Fred.”
Bruce Checefsky is a filmmaker and photographer, and published writer. He is the recipient of three Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, a Creative Workforce Fellowship, and four CEC ArtsLink Fellowships.