Jersey City’s Cultural Affairs Director Steps Down After 25 Years

After a quarter century shaping the arts in Jersey City, the woman behind countless exhibitions, performances, and public art projects is moving on. The woman who made it her mission to make sure creativity had a home here is leaving. As of this week, the city’s Cultural Affairs Director is stepping down.

The Solomon Administration announced the departure. According to Communications Director Nathaniel Styer, the director is leaving to pursue another career opportunity elsewhere. It’s a quiet end to a remarkably loud legacy — one that turned Jersey City into a place where artists could stay, not just pass through.

Mayor Steve Fulop’s office has named Deputy Chief of Staff Kristel Asqui-Mejia as acting director. She starts Monday. The city has already opened a portal for applications to fill the role permanently.

A legacy built over decades

For 25 years, the outgoing director has been a constant presence in Jersey City’s arts scene. That’s longer than some of the artists she supported have been alive. She oversaw the Office of Cultural Affairs through periods of rapid growth — as the waterfront transformed, as new residents poured in, and as the city’s identity shifted from industrial to cultural.

Under her watch, the office grew from a small municipal function into a real force. It funded local artists, organized public art installations, and turned neglected spaces into venues. She was known for showing up — to gallery openings in the Heights, to block parties in Greenville, to theater productions in downtown lofts. She understood something important: culture isn’t an amenity. It’s what makes a place feel like home.

What this means for Jersey City residents

Change at the top of a city department can feel distant. But this one touches real lives. Artists who depend on city grants for their next project. Nonprofits that partner with the office on programming. Teachers who bring students to see exhibitions the office helped fund. Small business owners who benefit when a public art project draws foot traffic to their block.

The good news: the office isn’t shutting down. Asqui-Mejia inherits a staff and a mission already in motion. She’s not new to this work — she supported Goodman’s efforts in her previous role. That continuity matters. Grant cycles will continue. Programs already scheduled will proceed. The city has said it’s moving quickly to find a permanent replacement, but there’s no indication of any disruption in the meantime.

What happens next

The city has opened an application portal for the permanent director position. For those curious about the process, that’s public information on the city’s website. For residents who care about the arts, the next few months will show how the administration prioritizes culture — not just in words, but in who they pick to lead.

Asqui-Mejia starts Monday. The search for a permanent director is underway. And the woman who gave 25 years to this city’s creative soul walks away knowing she built something that will outlast any single title.

In Jersey City, the show goes on.