What Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center means for the Arts community

As performers cancel their shows at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, local artists give their take on the current state of art under the Trump administration

By: Rachel Meatte

Trump’s reshaping of the country is beginning to have deeper effects on communities. The Kennedy Center of Performing Arts Board announced on Feb. 8 that President Trump was voted in as its new chairman, as it cut ties with Deborah Rutter, the previous chairman for 14 years. 

 
Immediately it was announced by The Kennedy Center that 14 new board of trustee members would be appointed and that several Biden appointed board members would be fired. He also stated on his media app, Truth Social that there can be “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA-ONLY THE BEST. RIC, WELCOME TO SHOW BUSINESS!” 

This prompted a swift response from multiple artists including comedian and actress Issa Rae who announced that she would be cancelling her event at the center. Rae announced via Instagram that she would no longer be attending the event due to an infringement on how she views the institution, according to a CBS news article.  

 “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” Rae wrote to the network.  

Writer and producer Shonda Rhimes resigned from her Board position and posted a quote by John F. Kennedy to her Instagram in response, “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” 

The backlash didn’t end there, as Singer and Songwriter Ben Folds announced via Instagram that he would be stepping down as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra. “Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” he wrote. “Not for me.” 

Gwen Febus, a local Seattle artist and college student in the fine arts studying at New York’s Parson’s School of Design gave her take on how she is impacted by Trump’s decisions. 

“As an artist and activist, art is so important. Trump, dictators and people in power trying to segregate the arts community and suppress artistic voices of minorities is something that needs to be talked about,” Febus said. 

The Kennedy Center, located in Washington D.C., is one of the major performing arts centers that has hosted several iconic events including the famous Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. This event, which has been hosted by the Kennedy Center since 1998, except in 2020 and 2021, honors several inspiring artists who have had a similar impact to Twain’s. 

In 1998, Richard Pryor was the first recipient of the award, followed by other comedians Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart and George Carlin later. Conan O’ Brian is the next chosen artist set to receive the 2025 Mark Twain Award on March 23. While O’Brian has made no announcement yet if he will decline, more artists are continuing to cancel planned events or quit their jobs at the center. 

The institution has made no official comment on the changes or towards the artists who have chosen to redact their support from the venue. 

Musician Rhiannon Giddens is the latest artist to announce on Instagram that she will move her performance that was originally scheduled for May 11 at the Kennedy Center to “The Anthem” venue in Washington D.C. 

“The Kennedy Center show was booked long before the current administration decided to take over this previously bipartisan institution, but I cannot in good conscience play at The Kennedy Center with the change in programming direction forced on the institution by this new board,” Giddens wrote in an Instagram post. 

The impact of artists canceling shows has also appeared to affect the ticket sales of the Kennedy Center. Ticket sales for the center since Trump’s takeover have now dropped to roughly 50 percent, according to an article by The Washington Post. 

“The Kennedy Center feels smaller if you don’t think about it in a deeper critical lense. But its expository of those bigger underlying issues like how Trump is controlling the arts as a means to control people who are trying to resist. Theres a few options for artists who could either perform or say something about the impact of Trump (stay) but I don’t know what the ramifications would be,” Febus said. 

As more artists continue to voice their opposition to this current administration’s decisions in the art scene, it’s unclear what the future of the community will look like. In Seattle, LGBTQ+ culture continues to rage on with more drag shows at bars like “Le Faux Show at Julia’s on Broadway” and “Unicorn.” Seattle Pride is still one of the biggest LGBTQ+ events in the country that draws in hundreds of thousands of people per year. 

Febus still does her work at Parsons including sculpture, print making, writing, sculpting and oil painting even though she finds it hard to be creative in the present day. 

When she becomes stressed, she enjoys going outside to parks in New York. “I do a lot of my work in my dorm and my roommates are like my family which always makes it feel like a safe space. Also, I have gone to a lot of open mic punk shows and DIY hardcore scenes in Seattle which always has an amazing community.” 

To see more information about official changes happening to the Kennedy Center, please visit the website.