New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani recently appointed Diya Vij as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the nation’s largest municipal funder of culture.
A Feb. 25, 2026 press release from the Mayor’s office said, “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.
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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.
Mayor Mamtani welcomed her as a ‘visionary and deeply thoughtful leader who understands that art is not ornamental to this city — it is essential.”
“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.”
Commissioner Vij will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.
Vij is the Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn. In that role, she is credited with expanding access to affordable art-making facilities, strengthening educational initiatives and launching a contemporary arts program centered on artistic process and cultural labor, the press release said.
Over the past decade, she has held programming, curatorial and communications roles at major New York City Institutions.