Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center should be a warning to UK arts institutions | Charlotte Higgins

IOn the pale stone wall of the Kennedy Center, above its elegant balcony on the edge of the Potomac River, are carved bold, idealistic sentiments. “This country cannot be materially rich and spiritually poor. To foster appreciation for culture among all people, increase respect for the creative individual, and expand everyone’s participation.” Operations and technical achievement – ​​this is one of the great challenges these days. Those are the words of John F. Kennedy, after whom the National Center for the Performing Arts in the United States is named. The impetus for its construction came from Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was named after JFK after his assassination. It opened in 1971 to music by Leonard Bernstein and choreography by Alvin Ailey in the presidency of Richard Nixon. In short, the Kennedy Center was designed to be bipartisan, a gathering place for Democrats and Republicans alike, and a proud showcase of the best American dance, opera, and music.

For 50 years it has followed this line carefully, and its board of directors has been balanced by members of Congress on both sides of the political divide. But it turns out that it may take just months to unravel half a century of lofty goals.

I’ve visited the Kennedy Center twice this year – once in the early spring, and once in the late fall. In March, pastors were coping with the shock of Donald Trump inserting himself into the organization — a few weeks earlier he had fired its Republican president, and a new group of compliant trustees had voted in instead. The night I attended, the audience booed Vice President J.D. Vance at a National Symphony Orchestra concert, which he was attending with his wife, Usha, one of the concert’s conservators. The center’s experienced head had just been replaced by Richard Grenell, Germany’s ambassador in Trump’s first term, a man with no arts management experience. Trump and Grenell have committed themselves to eliminating “woke” programs that they claim have taken over this house of Stravinsky’s orchestral suites and Mozart’s operas. Eight months later, the Washington National Opera’s production of Aida I attended was as stunning and moving as one might expect. But the place was quieter and quieter. Now, from the wall opposite the stage door, he stared at the pictures of the first and second couple. There was no doubt about who was supposed to be in charge.

By this time, ticket sales were down, according to a Washington Post analysis. Officially loyal pastors were turning away from what many now considered a toxic and politicized institution. Production companies – particularly the musical Hamilton – have withdrawn from the venue. An entire season of classical concerts, run by the Washington Foundation for the Performing Arts (its motto is “Championing the Arts as a Unifying Force”), was absent from the building, having made the quick decision to stage its concerts and recitals in alternative venues across the capital.

Many employees have resigned or been laid off. They included abrupt terminations of dance programming staff this summer, when an experienced staff was replaced by a former ballet dancer who wrote to Grenell and Trump offering to help stamp out “leftist ideologies in the arts.” Being a Maga loyalist, or remaining silent and toeing the line, seems to be a requirement of those associated with the center. Now the National Symphony Orchestra plays the national anthem before its concerts – something that may happen from time to time in Ukraine, a country already at war, but which carries a very different significance when the arts are positioned as pillars of an explicitly nationalist agenda. (See also: Plans endorsed by Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, which include a sculpture garden for statues of certified “great” Americans.)

The Kennedy Center now looks like a “morgue,” according to one person who works there, because the displays and visitor numbers have become so poor. The administration claims victory by claiming victory by raising money – from what we might call unusual sources, such as a large donation from the Kazakh government. However, Washington National Opera, its artistic director told me, is considering leaving the center because its loyal patrons are unwilling to come and donors are reluctant to provide financial support. Sometimes, audiences are artificially inflated through ticket distribution: One employee told me about a company-wide email this week offering employees free tickets to this week’s performance of Handel’s “Messiah,” a seasonal favorite that should be a no-brainer sellout.

The past two weeks have been particularly buoyant in terms of the center’s Trumpism. First, there was the chatter of the FIFA World Cup draw, an event (which was presented to the federation without a rental fee) that required the rapid rescheduling of several long-programmed performances and for which Trump was, absurdly, awarded the “FIFA Peace Prize.” A few days later came the Kennedy Center Honor, bestowing lifetime achievement awards on distinguished artists. Previously, honorees were proposed by a panel of experts. But this year, the president said he was involved “98 percent” in the selection, rejected several “woke” names, and even walked out of the event himself, joking as he did so that the venue could be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center. One might ask why we stop there – why not eliminate JFK completely? Surely it would be easy to erase Kennedy’s sublime inscriptions from its walls as part of the building’s much-vaunted renovation?

I have begun the process of retreat. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote to Grenell outlining concerns about spending, questioning outlandish hotel costs, “lavish meals and entertainment,” a deal with FIFA, contracts for personal friends, and discounted rents for political allies, including a conference called the “Christian Persecution Summit.” (Grenell responded by denying what he called the false accusations.) But any reaction or no, will have a lasting impact on the once great Palace of Arts, whatever happens in the next presidential election. It is easy and quick to expose something, but difficult to restore it to health – and the same applies to many American institutions, and to the country itself.

And for those in the UK who tend to think “this couldn’t happen here”, don’t kid yourself. Nigel Farage and others on the British far right have already begun to intensify cheap Trumpism – a neo-Trumpism inspired by Viktor Orbán’s efforts to reshape and suppress broadcasting, media, and cultural institutions in Hungary. What happened at the Kennedy Center should not be viewed as a spectacle, but rather as a warning.