The Metro Arts Commission on July 24 approved guidelines and a scoring rubric — subject to final legal review — for its FY26 Community Arts Leaders of Nashville internship program, staff said.
The 14-week spring internship pays students who attend Nashville or Tennessee colleges and matches them with host arts organizations in Davidson County; Metro Arts expects to award six to eight internships for the 2026 spring semester, restorative arts manager Josiah Gholson told commissioners.
Gholson said the program includes a stipend for mentors (local artists or arts professionals) and modest administrative support for host organizations. He outlined the anticipated timeline: host-site applications will open on Sept. 3, staff will match students to selected host sites between Nov. 3 and Dec. 5, contracts and funding disbursement will follow and internships would run from February to May if the schedule holds.
“This program is an internship that takes place over the course of 14 weeks during the spring semester,” Josiah Gholson said while presenting the guidelines and scoring rubric. He said the program is designed to provide paying arts work experience and mentoring to students and to support host organizations needing staff-level assistance.
Commissioners discussed whether the program might expand to additional semesters in future years; staff said the program is currently planned for the spring and that expansion to a fall term is an aspiration but not scheduled. One staff member noted the scoring rubric for the application is undergoing final legal review and asked the commission to approve the rubric pending that review.
A commissioner moved to approve the guidelines and the scoring rubric pending final legal approval; another commissioner seconded the motion and commissioners voted to approve it as presented in the meeting packet.
Staff said that if the commission and Metro City Council sign off on the materials, Metro Arts will launch host-site applications in September and then open student and mentor applications after host sites are selected.