The mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, announced on Jan. 14 his appointment of Luis R. Cancel as the head of that city’s Arts Commission. Since 2005, Cancel has been executive director of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center on Suffolk St. on the Lower East Side.
“Luis Cancel has done amazing work in New York, both inside and outside of government, to promote the value of the arts in everyday life, and he’s going to do amazing work here in San Francisco,” said Newsom.
At C.S.V., Cancel negotiated a new governance structure with New York City, the center’s landlord, and secured $14 million in capital renovation funds from the city, as well as more than $350,000 in operating support for the center.
“Our board is very proud of Luis’s tenure at C.S.V.,” said Ninfa Segarra, co-chairperson of the C.S.V. Cultural Center board. “We are grateful for the leadership he provided over the past two-and-a-half years and he leaves behind a fabulous legacy.”
Said Cancel, “I am very excited to join Mayor Newsom’s team, and I share his vision to use the rich cultural resources of San Francisco to expand tourism and economic development for the city,” Cancel said.
Cancel will begin his duties at the San Francisco Arts Commission later this month, after relocating with his wife, the Brazilian contemporary dance choreographer Regina Miranda. C.S.V. has launched a search for a new executive director. The city-funded capital renovations to the five-story building are expected to take two years and the center’s activities. will continue without interruption.
