Chicago’s cultural affairs department faces staffing turnovers, hiring freeze

At least 13 staff members, including some top deputies, have departed Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) since March, according to public records and interviews. That means about 18% of the department has turned over in the six months since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed a new commissioner.

Departing staff include three deputy commissioners, the department’s second-in-command, a creative director and three program directors. The department oversees large-scale events, such as Taste of Chicago and Blues Fest, and neighborhood programming, as well as directs grants to artists and organizations.

In February, Johnson terminated DCASE Commissioner Erin Harkey and a month later announced Clinée Hedspeth as his pick to lead the department. Hedspeth, a former art appraiser and director at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, previously served as legislative director under Johnson during his time as Cook County Commissioner. In a public appearance earlier this year, Hedspeth said she has known the mayor since college.

WBEZ made several requests to speak with Hedspeth. A DCASE spokesperson said she was not available for an interview and did not reply to emailed questions.

The DCASE exits have left some key departmental positions vacant just as the city faces a $982 million budget shortfall and on Monday the city said a hiring freeze is official and effective immediately. Some members of the mayor’s cultural advisory council say they are worried the loss of talent and institutional knowledge could impact the department’s work — both when it comes to major events and building relationships throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods.

“I’m concerned,” Amina Dickerson, a member of the advisory committee, said of the staff turnover. “With each departure, I grow more alarmed, and I am not clear how those responsibilities are being managed.”

Of the three deputy commissioners who have left the department since late April, two have been replaced — one with an internal staff promotion and the other with an external hire, according to department documents obtained through a public records request.

The third position remains empty, documents show. Deputy Commissioner for Marketing and Communications Jamey Lundblad left last month after more than 11 years with the department. The opening is not currently listed on the city’s website.

Kalena Chevalier, the former deputy commissioner of cultural grants and resources, left in May and Nancy Villafranca, who was the deputy commissioner for programming, departed in June. Public records show an employee hired to be Hedspeth’s administrative assistant remained on the job for about four months.

A former DCASE employee who did not want to be named told WBEZ the internal culture of the department had become “discouraging” and “disconnected” under Hedspeth.

When asked whether the mayor is concerned about the number of staff changes at DCASE, a spokesperson for Johnson said in an emailed statement that the mayor’s office does not comment publicly on personnel matters.

“Commissioner Hedspeth was appointed head of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for her vision and her exceptional track record in the arts and policy and after a tremendous summer of city events and community engagement, we look forward to her continued commitment to her agency and Chicago’s cultural landscape,” the statement said.

In February, the department had 71 employees (not including student interns). Recently, according to an employee list obtained through a public records request in early September, the number had dipped into the 60s.

As of Friday, an online hiring portal for the city shows two open positions at DCASE for a “curator of exhibits” and a “program director - cultural affairs.”

Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 38th Ward, chair of City Council's Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation, said he knew nothing about the number of staff departures when reached by phone on Thursday. Sposato said he has developed a good working relationship with the commissioner and has confidence in her leadership, adding that he also “loved the last commissioner and the commissioner before that.”

Harkey’s departure came as a surprise to arts leaders in the city and to city council members. One immediate concern was whether the new DCASE commissioner would continue expanding a program of direct grantmaking to artists and organizations as Harkey, her predecessor, had.

Claire Rice, the executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois, told WBEZ in March that people had been “supportive of the current direction of the agency and want to see that continue, regardless of whomever might occupy the leadership seat of the department.”

Recently, Rice, a member of the cultural advisory council, said she continues to work with the department and the mayor’s office to encourage direct grantmaking and hopes it continues to be a priority.

During the confirmation process at City Hall, Hedspeth appeared before the City Council’s cultural affairs and special events committee in April. There, she said one of her main focuses would be public art.

But, Dickerson, a longtime arts activist, said she’s unclear how those priorities are being carried out.

“I know that she has an arts background, primarily in the visual arts, and I am still unclear about the directions for growth and development for the arts in Chicago that are at the center of this new commissioner’s thinking,” said Dickerson. “It’s really time for the commissioner and the city to communicate what they want for the arts in Chicago”

Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.