Chicago’s cultural chief says one of her priorities is to deliver arts to Chicagoans where they live.
Acting cultural commissioner Kenya Merritt said Monday she plans to steer more city grant funding to the department’s Neighborhood Access Program to bolster cultural programming across Chicago. She spoke to WBEZ before leading her first meeting of the Cultural Advisory Council, a volunteer group of arts leaders that lends insight and expertise to the department.
“When people are in their neighborhoods, they shouldn’t feel like, ‘I have to go to a show in another neighborhood,’ ” Merritt said. “The cultural vibrancy that is in every single neighborhood contributes to people’s quality of life. So strengthening the ecosystem with the focus on neighborhoods is going to be incredibly important for us.”
Merritt was tapped in October by Mayor Brandon Johnson to be the acting commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, a department that steers everything from large-scale downtown events like Taste of Chicago and Jazz Fest to individual artists grants.
That appointment came after the mayor’s previous hand-picked leader and friend, Clinée Hedspeth, resigned the post after a tenure that included high staff turnover and allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
Asked what she is doing to repair the department’s internal culture, Merritt said she is looking to the future, but added that she has been focused on establishing “communication norms” internally.
She said her priorities also include uplifting the arts’ role as an economic driver in Chicago and making the downtown Cultural Center more of a hub.
Merritt, a longtime city staffer, has served as Johnson’s deputy mayor of business, economic and neighborhood development since 2023. She previously worked as DCASE’s chief financial officer and interim chief operating officer.
Calling her return to DCASE a “second tour of duty,” Merritt said she’s now leaning into existing relationships with artists and arts leaders. Merritt said she has heard from the sector that they want more visibility for Chicago’s vibrant arts community.
Merritt said she’d like to see the Chicago Cultural Center become more of an artistic hub. Here visitors explore the Chicago Architecture Biennial exhibition “SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change” in September at the site. The exhibition runs through Feb. 28, 2026.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
“The best way to articulate that is the contributions that arts and culture play in our broader economy,” Merritt said. “Everybody can understand that.”
Chicago’s arts community has also repeatedly praised the department’s focus on grantmaking, a main tenet of DCASE’s mission. DCASE says it has awarded $9.5 million in grants to more than 600 artists and organizations this year.
But now, City Hall is in the throes of a heated debate over the mayor’s proposed budget. DCASE, which is primarily funded through the city’s special events and hotel tax, is facing a 15% budget decrease. That drop is, in part, due to a decline in remaining COVID-19 relief dollars. Still, Merritt said she’s confident her department will be able to continue its grantmaking programs.
“Based on the mayor’s recommendation, should that go forward, we’ll still have the opportunity to lean into our grantmaking, which is incredibly important for us in terms of our reach and being able to support the sector and the landscape,” she said. “So at this point, I’m not concerned and hoping that we’ll be able to get that finalized soon.”
The department is currently accepting applications for its Individual Artists Program, which gives dollars directly to artists. However, some artists have said DCASE has been slow to make payments. Merritt said she’s leading conversations about how to make the payment process more efficient.
“While we have our goals and our visions of being able to move the needle in terms of how we invest in the landscape, it’s equally important to make sure that those processes from application to payment for artists as well as the organizations, are seamless,” said Merritt, a lifelong Chicagoan who grew up in North Lawndale.
On Monday, Merritt told advisory council members her plans for the new year include creating a “stronger connection between culture and economic growth” and ensuring DCASE is “built for long-term sustainability.”
EXPO art fair founder Tony Karman praised DCASE leadership for its work amid “a challenging transition.”
Will Merritt stay on long term?
“Well, we’ll see. You know, that is Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision,” she said. “But I will say that I am loving it here, and I very much love working with the team.”
Johnson told WBEZ in mid-October that he would appoint a permanent DCASE commissioner “soon.” A mayoral spokesperson did not respond to WBEZ’s question this week about the timeline of that announcement.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.