Mayor Zohran Mamdani Appoints Diya Vij as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs

 

As Commissioner, Vij will extend Mayor Mamdani’s affordability agenda to the arts, ensuring NYC remains the cultural capital of the world

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.”

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.