TODAY, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the appointment of Diya Vij as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the nation's largest municipal funder of culture.
As Commissioner, Vij will deepen the City's commitment to supporting art and culture and ensure New York City is not only a place where artists can afford to live, but where art is celebrated and sustained.
Vij returns to the DCLA, where she previously worked on special projects under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. During her earlier tenure, she launched and co-directed the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program, which embeds artists within City agencies and integrates art into civic life. Artists including Tania Bruguera, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Onyedika Chuke and Ebony Noelle Golden participated in the program.
More recently, Vij served as a curator at Creative Time, where she curated large-scale public art projects in partnership with State and City agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Parks Department and the Department of Transportation. Her most recent curation, Chloë Bass's "If you hear something, free something," was created in partnership with the MTA and broadcast artwork over the subway public address system, transforming daily commutes into shared cultural experiences.
Vij also held leadership roles across New York's arts institutions, including as Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs at Powerhouse Arts, and in roles at the Queens Museum and the High Line. Across private nonprofits and city government, she has organized dozens of performances and public programs and developed a deep understanding of the city's cultural ecosystem.
"I am proud to welcome Diya Vij as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Diya is a visionary and deeply thoughtful leader who understands that art is not ornamental to this city - it is essential," said Mayor Mamdani. "She has worked to weave culture into the fabric of public life. This administration believes art is a public good, not a luxury reserved for the few. Under her leadership, we will fight to keep New York a city where artists can afford to live and create - and where every New Yorker, in every borough, can experience the energy and inspiration that art makes possible."
"This administration has renewed my belief that city government can be a site of real change - and that art and culture are essential to that project," said Commissioner Vij. "Too many artists have been forced out of the city they love - crushed by the cost-of-living crisis. As Commissioner, I will extend the Mayor's affordability agenda to arts and culture. It is an honor to help build a city where artists, cultural workers, and New Yorkers across all five boroughs can do more than get by - they can live full, vibrant and curious lives."
"Diya has proven time and again that she understands the full value of the arts - the social, economic, political, and poetic impact across our City and in our hearts. She's the ultimate collaborator, inspiring private sector investment and public engagement while protecting free expression. The Mayor could not have appointed a more thoughtful arts leader," said Patrick Gaspard, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Board Member of the Mellon Foundation.
"Diya is a true champion of artists and deeply understands the power of arts and culture in shaping our city. During her time on The Laundromat Project's board, Diya led with generosity, rigor, and a deep commitment to artists and neighborhoods. She believes culture belongs in public space, in city systems, and in the hands of everyday New Yorkers. I join my peers in expressing pride and excitement to follow and support her leadership," said Ayesha Williams, Executive Director of The Laundromat Project.
"I had the immense pleasure of working with Diya Vij for four years at the Queens Museum and four years at the Department of Cultural Affairs," said former DCLA Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. "Watching her personal, political, intellectual, and leadership growth has been an immense pleasure and privilege over the last 16 years. She has a great vision for cultural policy and a deep love of artists and the entire cultural field. Big congratulations both to our new cultural leader, and to the mayor who had the vision to put her in charge of the most important cultural funder in the public sector in the United States of America."
"I look forward to working with Diya Vij in her new role as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs," said Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden. "She is devoted equally to creative talent and the public realm, and her city-wide experience with civic and private arts institutions, communities and artists positions her to lead the Department with understanding, imagination, and vision. The members of New York's Cultural Institutions Group, and the 1,000 nonprofit cultural organizations the Department supports are wildly diverse in size, location, and subject matter, but what they all have in common is that they draw strength from their communities. This is a moment to reaffirm the bonds of mutual support and participation between our institutions and our public."
"As a curator at Creative Time, Diya led with the ethos that artists matter, art is essential to society, and the impossible is possible through intention, care, and coalitions," Jean Cooney, Executive Director of Creative Time. "Whether navigating the complexities of a museum setting, a public art organization, or city government, Diya's work is guided by a deep commitment to artists, accessible cultural programming, and the broad and diverse publics of New York City. We couldn't imagine a more exciting choice for the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs - the future feels bright for the cultural landscape of our city!"
"Diya Vij is a visionary leader who understands how culture functions as a public good, and she brings invaluable experience from inside DCLA and across New York's wide-ranging creative communities," said Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation who served on Mayor Mamdani's transition committee for arts and culture. "Public funding provides scale and stability; philanthropy can seed innovation and take thoughtful risks - together sustaining a vibrant, inclusive cultural ecosystem for all New Yorkers."
"Diya has dedicated her career to the pursuit of art as a critical pillar of civic life. I am thrilled that she has been tapped for this important role which so appropriately furthers her vision for a metropolis that prioritizes, resources, and empowers artists," said Eric Shiner, President of Powerhouse Arts. "We will greatly miss working with Diya at Powerhouse Arts, but we are delighted to know that her visionary advocacy will champion our artists and arts organizations at the highest level within our great city."
New York City's public funding infrastructure has helped establish and sustain its position as a global cultural capital. As Commissioner, Vij will advance Mayor Mamdani's affordability agenda within the arts sector by addressing historic funding inequities, improving agency efficiency, coordinating across city government to expand affordability tools for artists and cultural organizations and deepening support for working artists.
Commissioner Vij will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.
About Diya Vij:
Vij is the Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn. In that role, she expanded access to affordable art-making facilities, strengthened educational initiatives and launched a contemporary arts program centered on artistic process and cultural labor.
Over the past decade, she has held programming, curatorial and communications roles at major New York City Institutions. As Curator at Creative Time, she commissioned large-scale public artworks, launched the public programming space CTHQ, relaunched the Creative Time Summit and initiated the R&D Fellowship for socially engaged artists. As Associate Curator of Public Programs at the High Line, she organized dozens of live events and performances.
At the Department of Cultural Affairs, Vij launched and co-directed the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program, helped lead the agency's citywide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, and contributed to CreateNYC, the city's first long-term strategic cultural plan. She previously served as a curatorial fellow and communications manager at the Queens Museum during its major capital renovation.
Until her appointment, Vij served on the boards of the Laundromat Project, The Poetry Project and A Blade of Grass, and was co-curator of the Counterpublic Triennial 2023 in St. Louis.
