Statement from CREATE Council on the Arts

The Greene County Poet Laureate program is currently paused. Following the Greene County Legislature’s decision to rescind the appointment of our inaugural selection, CREATE’s Board of Directors determined it would not be appropriate to advance an alternate candidate at this time.

Our selection process followed CREATE’s established practice: an open application, an independent panel instructed to evaluate candidates on cultural impact and artistic merit, and a formal appointment by the Legislature’s Chairman. Program guidelines were shared with the Greene County Legislature throughout. Its decision to rescind that appointment raises serious questions about how artists in public roles are evaluated and treated.

CREATE is committed to working with the Legislature and the region’s arts community to revisit a shared framework that serves future candidates and the community we are here to support.

That framework will be grounded in CREATE’s core belief: freedom of expression is essential and that artists should be evaluated on the merit of their work and their contributions to community life.

For questions: executivedirector@createcouncil.org

updated April 20, 2026