New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
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Department overview | |
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Formed | 1976 |
Preceding department |
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Jurisdiction | New York City |
Headquarters | 31 Chambers Street New York, NY 10007[1] |
Annual budget | $144.2 Million (FY 2022) |
Department executive |
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Key document | |
Website | www |
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is the department of the government of New York City[2] dedicated to supporting New York City's cultural life. Among its primary missions is ensuring adequate public funding for non-profit cultural organizations throughout the five boroughs.[3] The Department represents and serves non-profit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists who live and work within the City's five boroughs.
The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), which prefigured the contemporary DCLA, was created in 1962 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. In 1976, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs was established as a separate city agency, headed by the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, who is appointed by the Mayor.[4]
Its programs include Materials for the Arts, a large facility in Long Island City that distributes free reused supplies to arts organizations. Its regulations are compiled in Title 58 of the New York City Rules.
Commissioners
Cultural Affairs Commissioner | Years in Office | Appointed by | |
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1 | H. Claude Shostal[5] | 1976-77 | Abraham Beame |
2 | Henry Geldzahler | 1978-82 | Ed Koch |
3 | Randall Bourscheidt (Acting) [6] | 1982-83 | Ed Koch |
4 | Bess Myerson | 1983-87 | Ed Koch |
5 | Mary Schmidt Campbell | 1987-91 | Ed Koch |
6 | Luis R. Cancel[7] | 1991-94 | David Dinkins |
7 | Schuyler G. Chapin | 1994-2001 | Rudolph Giuliani |
8 | Kate Levin[8] | 2002-2013 | Michael Bloomberg |
9 | Tom Finkelpearl | 2014-2019 | Bill de Blasio |
10 | Gonzalo Casals[9] | 2020-2022 | Bill de Blasio |
11 | Laurie Cumbo[10] | 2022-present | Eric Adams |
References
- ^ "Contact Cultural Affairs - NYC Department of Cultural Affairs". nyc.gov.
- ^ New York City Charter § 2501; "There shall be a department of cultural affairs, the head of which shall be the commissioner of cultural affairs."
- ^ "About Cultural Affairs - DCLA". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "NYC.gov - City Information, Services and Programs". www.nyc.gov. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^ Breasted, Mary (5 May 1976). "Beame's Culture Chief". www.nytimes.com.
- ^ "Contributor: Randall Bourscheidt". www.huffpost.com.
- ^ Honin, William (7 December 1991). "Former Museum Head Named to Culture Post". www.nytimes.com.
- ^ "Kate Levin". www.bloomberg.org.
- ^ Ludel, Wallace (11 March 2020). "Gonzalo Casals, director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum, is named commissioner of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Mayor Adams Appoints Laurie Cumbo as Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner". The official website of the City of New York. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
External links