Bard Alumna Diya Vij ’08 to Lead New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs

Diya Vij ’08, Bard alumna and a vice president at Powerhouse Arts, has been named as the Mamdani administration’s leader of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Vij, who was profiled in the New York Times, is a veteran of creative communities throughout the city and was praised by Mamdani as a “visionary and deeply thoughtful leader who understands that art is not ornamental to this city—it is essential to it.” The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs is the largest municipal funder of culture in the country, supporting 1,000 nonprofit cultural organizations and providing $245 million in funding in the last fiscal year to give access to art and culture for all New Yorkers. “I’m excited to apply my political lens to strengthening the systems that make open, accessible, and sometimes radical cultural activities possible,” Vij said. 

Post Date: 03-03-2026