Mayor Lurie Advances Reimagined Citywide Arts and Culture Strategy to Support San Francisco’s Recovery

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced a major step forward in his citywide arts and cultural strategy, launching a search for San Francisco’s new executive director of arts and culture. The newly created role will lead the San Francisco Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and the Film Commission under a single organization and vision, ensuring the arts remain a cornerstone of San Francisco’s identity and economic vitality. The executive director will serve as Mayor Lurie’s principal advisor on policies that advance San Francisco’s creative economy, cultural equity and preservation, and public arts programming. The new role is part of Mayor Lurie’s strategy to bring greater coordination and transparency to how the city allocates grants and other resources that create opportunities for working artists, art organizations, and cultural institutions of all sizes. 

This announcement builds on the mayor’s work to accelerate the city’s recovery by strengthening the city’s arts, culture, and entertainment ecosystem. In November, the mayor launched SF LIVE, a citywide show guide and online events calendar to drive ticket sales for live arts venues in San Francisco. This summer, he launched a free downtown concert series, celebrated the “Summer of Music” that drew tens of thousands and generated over $150 million in local economic impact, and kicked off the “Winter of Music.” He has also directed more than $10.4 million in grants to 145 artists and arts nonprofits through the San Francisco Arts Commission, along with over $14 million in local arts and culture funding through Grants for the Arts, important work that will continue to be supported under the new organization.  

“San Francisco’s artists and cultural institutions are central to our city’s identity and our future, and they’re a powerful driver of our economic recovery,” said Mayor Lurie. “As we look ahead, it’s critical that we find the right leader to guide the next phase of San Francisco’s unified arts and culture strategy. This new role will help strengthen our creative economy, support working artists through grants, invest in public art that adds vibrancy to our neighborhoods, and bring energy, jobs, and people back to San Francisco.” 

Since announcing plans last spring to strategically realign and unite the city’s arts agencies, Mayor Lurie and his administration have made engaging with San Francisco’s creative community a central part of shaping the city’s path forward. Through conversations with artists, cultural organizations, and creative leaders across San Francisco, Mayor Lurie and the Mayor’s Office heard a clear message: the arts are part of our city’s soul and critical to our recovery—but at a time of significant uncertainty and economic pressure, the people who make them possible need government to work better. 

The reimagined arts strategy will power more transparent grantmaking (including general operational grants), stronger coordination, and a system that supports the full arts and culture landscape so organizations can succeed and be resilient—such as simpler grant applications, better-aligned timelines, and ensuring resources continue to reach working artists. The creation of the executive director of arts and culture is Mayor Lurie’s next step to strengthening support for artists and cultural institutions and ensuring the arts can continue to drive San Francisco’s comeback.  

Under the new, unified structure, the functions of the Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and the Film Commission will ultimately transfer under the new executive director. The executive director will be a key partner in shaping and advancing this vision—working alongside artists, cultural leaders, and city leaders to strengthen support for San Francisco’s creative community and ensure the arts remain a vital part of the city’s future. 

“This new role signals real commitment from the city,” said Bob Fisher, Pisces Foundation Founding Trustee. “A single leader reporting to the mayor creates clarity, accountability, and momentum. It should improve access for artists, simplify the experience for grantees, and give the philanthropic community a clear partner inside City Hall. That alignment is essential if we want stronger results for San Francisco’s creative community.” 

“A unified approach to arts and culture means stronger, more consistent support for LGBTQ+ event producers, artists, storytellers, and community organizations,” said Suzanne Ford, San Francisco Pride Executive Director. “By aligning grantmaking and cultural leadership under a new executive director of arts and culture, the city is creating a more efficient system that allows grantees like SF Pride to focus our resources on what matters most—producing bold, inclusive events that celebrate our history, reflect our diversity, and bring our community together.” 

“In a time of profound uncertainty, the need to strengthen cultural connection and uphold human dignity has never been more urgent. The community shares a hope that this new role signals a shared commitment to bringing visibility and uplifting inclusion and equity, while recognizing the arts as a powerful driver of community well-being and economic vitality,” said Jenny Leung, Chinese Culture Center Executive Director. “Chinatown has been at the heart and soul of the city as a cultural cornerstone. As we enter the Year of the Fire Horse, we see a pivotal opportunity to build the community’s voice towards positive change. We look forward to collaborating with the city to reimagine Grant Avenue as a vibrant cultural bridge that connects people, families, and small businesses. Let arts be the beacon of hope!” 

“This is an exciting opportunity to uplift and invest in San Francisco’s creative ecosystem and promote cultural equity. The arts and culture sector is comprised of cultural centers, galleries, museums, theater, multidisciplinary spaces, film, dance, and more,” said Ani Rivera, Galería de la Raza Executive Director. “We need a thoughtful leader that can incorporate the arts across all city departments and create a cultural plan for generations to come. We are excited to partner with the mayor and the next executive director of arts and culture to sustain a vibrant arts ecosystem.” 

“San Francisco is experiencing a period of extraordinary cultural vitality, and we are excited that the city is launching a search for a leader who can help shape a unified cultural vision—one that embraces the incredible diversity of artistic disciplines, organizational sizes, and cultural missions that define San Francisco’s unique creative ecosystem,” said Matthew Shilvock, San Francisco Opera General Director and San Francisco Arts Alliance Co-Chair. 

“I appreciate the mayor’s thoughtful approach to streamlining while also strengthening San Francisco’s arts sector,” said Monetta White, Museum of the African Diaspora CEO and Executive Director. “Aligning Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the San Francisco Film Commission under one umbrella has the potential to reduce barriers, better coordinate resources, and more effectively support artists and cultural organizations. I am hopeful this approach will result in a more connected, sustainable, and resilient arts ecosystem for the city.” 

“We are excited about the progress of moving towards developing and implementing a citywide, cultural, and creative economic strategy, championed by the new leadership,” said Rachelle Axel, Artists for a Better Bay Area Executive Director. “The arts community is eager to connect with the new director and help them get to know our local cultural ecosystem, which is both deep and wide, and touches every corner of San Francisco. The arts community, which is at once thriving and struggling, is ready to engage in conversation and positive visioning for how the city can deploy all of its resources, not just arts, in a coordinated effort to uplift one of the most vibrant, pluralistic and historically rich arts communities in the world.” 

The Mayor’s Office will work with executive search firm Berkeley Search Consultants to fill the role. The full job description for the role and details on how to apply can be found here.