NYC Cultural Affairs Names Bryan Joseph Lee Deputy Commissioner
Ryan Max, DCLA's external affairs director since 2014, moves into the newly assumed chief of staff role.
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij has announced two appointments to her senior leadership team at the agency. Bryan Joseph Lee, a cultural strategist and creative producer based in Harlem, NYC, will serve as DCLA's Deputy Commissioner, bringing more than 20 years of experience to help guide and shape agency programs and initiatives. Ryan Max, who since 2014 has served as DCLA's Director of External Affairs, will assume the role of Chief of Staff. Both roles will help guide the agency as it rolls out ambitious new programs to deliver on the Mamdani administration's affordability agenda for the cultural community, while focusing in supporting the work of agency staff to deliver excellence in public service.
“Bryan Joseph Lee brings a depth of experience across the performing arts - shaping grant programs, building the capacity of nonprofits, curating groundbreaking performances and festivals, and leading major community engagement initiatives,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. “I'm most excited for Bryan to bring his own experience as a cultural worker to our New Era of city government, after he's spent years pushing for greater equity and care for artists and workers. He will be instrumental to achieving a more livable, more dignified, more inclusive city for artists, cultural workers, and organizations.”
Bryan Joseph Lee is a cultural strategist and creative producer based in Harlem, NYC. With two decades of experience supporting theaters, museums, symphony orchestras, performance festivals and multidisciplinary artists and collectives, his work has touched hundreds of organizations across the US and around the world. As a strategic advisor, Bryan has guided numerous national cultural projects supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Wallace Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. He has led efforts in capacity building, fundraising, community engagement and cross-sector partnerships with companies like Arena Stage, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), New 42/New Victory Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Mosaic Theater Company, Folger Shakespeare Library, Museum Hue, and more.
Previously, Bryan served as Director of Public Forum at The Public Theater where he investigated civic organizing and cultural changemaking at one of the nation's leading off-Broadway theater companies. While at The Public, he helped produce over 75 artistic programs featuring more than 250 artists, activists, and civic leaders, and curated conversations on civic engagement, community development, and social change across New York City. As an artistic curator, Bryan has also independently produced and programmed artists at venues like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, The Shed, and Hi-ARTS in New York City. In 2021, Bryan was named a Producer-In-Residence with The Shubert Organization's Artistic Circle, and has incubated multiple projects with Black & Queer artists that defy genre. He is also the a founding co-curator of theurbanX.org, an international arts residency program that connects Black and Brown creatives in New York City and Mexico City. Bryan was a 2018 Global Arts Management Fellow at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, and was named a 2016 Rising Leader of Color by Theater Communications Group (TCG). He holds a degree in Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies from Dartmouth College.
"Bryan Joseph Lee is brilliant, energetic, accomplished and principled. He made a huge contribution during his time at the Public, and at the Department of Cultural Affairs he's going to elevate the whole city. What an excellent and fortunate appointment!" said Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater.
“In a time when the city is looking for leadership that can boost, ground, and galvanize the support that is needed, I am ecstatic to see Bryan Joseph Lee join this forward thinking administration. He has worked in the sector for years and seen how each neighborhood has been affected by, supported, and deserves creative opportunities focused on providing access to all. Through his partnership with our commissioner and the staff at DCLA, I am thrilled to imagine what may be possible through his appointment,” said Jonathan McCory, Executive Artistic Director, National Black Theater.
"I've had the gift of collaborating with Bryan several times over the past decade, and each time he's brought an unflinching commitment to artists and arts workers, paired with his refreshingly joyful spirit. Bringing his artistic and strategic skill to DCLA is a full-stop win for New York's creative communities," said Stephanie Ybarra, Program Officer, Arts & Culture, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Ryan Max started in DCLA's external affairs unit in 2011, and has served as Director of External Affairs since 2014. In this role, he oversaw public affairs and communications for the largest municipal funder of art and culture in the United States and served as an advisor to the NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner across multiple administrations. Ryan oversaw the public rollout of DCLA's far-reaching diversity initiatives starting in 2017, led on a range of special projects for the agency, including the IDNYC cultural benefit program, and served a key role in the agency's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impacts on New York City's cultural sector. Prior to DCLA, he worked for a community development organization in the South Bronx and holds a BA from New York University.
“As Director of External Affairs, Ryan Max has been a pillar of every major initiative to come out of DCLA since 2014,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. “He has helped hundreds of cultural organizations and public artists across the city navigate complex city structures to bring their work into the public realm. In turn, he has become a deeply respected colleague to the entire field. He is a brilliant thought partner and dedicated advocate. Ryan will be instrumental to DCLA's ability to execute an excellence in government that this administration strives for.”
“After 15 years of excellent service at DCLA, Ryan Max has earned the trust and respect of colleagues across the agency, city government and the cultural community,” said Tom Finkelpearl, former DCLA Commissioner. “As Chief of Staff, Ryan will bring integrity, humanity and strategic vision to this essential role in the agency. It is exciting to see that he will have a crucial role in keeping the agency clicking, delivering for the world of culture that helps make New York City so great. Congratulations to Ryan, and to the Mamdani administration for making this terrific appointment.”
