The executive director of Cambridge Arts, Jason Weeks, retires at the end of October to take on a role with the Artists Association of Nantucket, it was announced Monday.
Weeks began work in Cambridge government in 2000 and became executive director of the arts agency in 2001, city manager Yi-Am Huang said in a memo to city councillors signaling he would prepare a search process to replace Weeks permanently. In the interim, Cambridge Arts will be led by Claudia Zarazua, director of arts and cultural planning in the Community Development Department.
“This transition marks the culmination of a remarkable career that has significantly shaped the cultural landscape of Cambridge,” Huang said, crediting Weeks as a driving force behind Cambridge’s artistic growth and national reputation.
The change happens around seven months after the Somerville Arts Council saw a changeover in leadership: Greg Jenkins announced in February that, after 25 years, he was leaving at the request of new mayor Jake Wilson.
Each city’s arts agency will see new leadership after a quarter-century. Councillors will have a chance to give their priorities for the department and the qualities they want to see in candidates for the position.
Weeks helped shape Cambridge Open Studios, in which people visit and buy from artists where they work; Sidewalk Poetry, which stamps short poems into newly poured concrete; and securing the state recognition for the Central Square Cultural District. “Most recently, Cambridge Porchfest has reflected Jason’s dedication to creative expression, civic participation and public engagement,” Huang said. The “decentralized” music festival that takes place on porches and in yards spread through neighborhoods began two years ago.
His work also includes caring for the city’s public art – a collection of more than 280 pieces that has been called the largest in New England.
“I’m excited for this new professional adventure but the idea of not being in Cambridge is certainly bittersweet,” Weeks said. “I’ve worked in Cambridge since arriving in Massachusetts in 1994 from my home state of North Carolina. This community is my home, and it has been a blessing and a gift to have been able to serve and generate positive impact for the creative sector for so long.”
In addition to his municipal role, Weeks is an adjunct lecturer in arts administration at Boston University and a founding board member for MassCreative, an arts advocacy organization. His training and areas of practice include music, theater and photography, and he holds undergraduate degrees in music and English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in arts administration from Boston University, according to a faculty profile.
The Artists Association of Nantucket is an 80-year-old institution with a staff of eight that oversees two galleries and regular lectures and classes.
This post was updated Sept. 30, 2026, with remarks from Weeks.
