City of Houston Pauses Rehiring Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Director

During an Arts and Culture Committee meeting earlier this month, the City of Houston explained that it is not currently planning on rehiring the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) Director, which was previously held by Necole Irvin.

Ms. Irvin stepped into the role in 2021 and departed the organization a few weeks ago. During the April 9 City Council Arts and Culture Committee meeting, Councilmember and Vice Chair of the committee Mario Castillo asked about the City’s intention of rehiring the MOCA Director position. Steven David, Deputy Chief of Staff, indicated that there is no plan to fill the vacancy.

Steven David, City of Houston’s Deputy Chief of Staff

Mr. David remarked on HAA’s essential work to implement the City’s arts programming, which includes the management of granting initiatives, the City’s Civic Art Collection, and public art opportunities. He then explained that the administration believes there are redundancies regarding MOCA’s duties and the work that HAA has been contracted to conduct. He noted that there have been contract management issues leading to funds allocated to MOCA “sitting there” and projects not moving forward. Mr. David pointed to the City’s decision last Fall to adjust HAA’s contract from $25 million to $15 million, noting that the action was taken because there was excess money not being spent.

When asked about the City’s long-term plans, specifically if MOCA will continue as an office in the future, Mr. David said he did not know what that might look like moving forward. He was clear to state the Mayor’s support of the arts. Mr. David reiterated, “What we weren’t seeing was the blend between MoCA and the HAA contract. The work wasn’t getting done for some reason. We are currently in fact-finding mode.” He noted that the City is working to assess the situation, and in the meantime, HAA does have direct oversight from the Mayor’s administration.

Taylor Jackson, the recently appointed CEO of HAA, shared that the organization has promoted Shareef Rabie, from Senior Grants Manager to Senior Data Analytics Manager. In this new role he will assess the impact of the arts on Houston’s economy.

Additionally, Councilmember Julian Ramirez asked about the City’s Civic Art Ordinance and its alignment with state law, an issue he raised in July 2024. His concern was that the Texas Local Government Code Section 444.029 indicated that no more than one percent of construction cost should be used for art projects; however, the City’s ordinance allows for no less than 1.75 percent to be spent on art acquisition or conservation. Mr. David noted that the City’s attorney has reviewed this concern and advised that the City’s ordinance is not inconsistent with state law.