Artists-in-residence fired from Mill Hill Village revitalization project

Two artists-in-residence who were chosen to lead the revitalization of east Macon’s Mill Hill Village were fired Tuesday night, the Macon Arts Alliance said in an email Wednesday.

Samantha Hill, of Chicago, and Ed Woodham, of New York City, were hired earlier this year as a part of an inaugural two-year project. Hill and Woodham were to live in a renovated mill cottage from midsummer to mid-fall while using their expertise to collaborate with residents on how to boost their community.

However, after the Macon Arts Alliance board met Tuesday night, the artists were offered a severance package. The firing is “due to the Artists’ failure to live up to specific items within their contractual agreements,” the statement said.

When asked about which parts of the contract the artists didn’t meet, Jan Beeland, Macon Arts Alliance’s executive director, declined to answer.

“We are going to stand by the statement that we sent, and we’re not going to elaborate any further,” Beeland said.

The alliance plans to continue its efforts in the Mill Hill Village, according to the statement, but it was unclear if or when new artists would be chosen.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Artists-in-residence fired from Mill Hill Village revitalization project."