Indian-origin curator Diya Vij appointed New York City’s next Commissioner of Cultural Affairs
New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs is reportedly the largest municipal funder of art in the US
Indian-origin curator Diya Vij has been appointed Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. (Image via Brown Arts Institute) Born and raised in an immigrant family from India that had migrated to Trumbull, a small town in Connecticut (United States), now Brooklyn-based curator Diya Vij will be the next commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA).
At 40, she will be the first person of South Asian descendant to hold the position. In a statement to The New York Times, that appeared in an article dated February 28, Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, praised Vij as a “visionary and deeply thoughtful leader who understands that art is not ornamental to this city — it is essential to it.” He added: “Under Diya’s 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 makes art possible.”
Prior to this, Vij was serving as vice president of curatorial and arts programmes at Powerhouse Arts, a Brooklyn-based non-profit organisation. In November, she had been announced by Mamdani as part of his arts and culture transition committee, one of 17 advisory committees formed ahead of his inauguration.
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