Photo Credit: The Kennedy Center, Newsroom
All of a sudden the Kennedy Center is the center of controversy.
Ya gotta figure the dust-up is more political than cultural. So, before we lose our way in the story, let’s look back at the Center’s history.
In 1933, during the Great Depression, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt floated the idea of developing a National Cultural Center to employ unemployed actors. Congress held hearings, but nothing materialized.
In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched a commission to establish a Center for American Arts and Culture. Three years later, The National Cultural Center Act was signed into law. The Act authorized federal financing to build a site dedicated to artistic expressions, but money to maintain the Center would require public support. The idea failed again.
When the Eisenhower term ended in 1961 First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy asked former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower to participate on a bipartisan panel to raise money in support of a world-class venue someplace in D.C. Again, dust covered the dream.
“The National Cultural Center will be for all of us” photo credit : The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
“but we are the ones who must build it” photo credit : The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Two months after the Assassination of President Kennedy, in January 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress supported establishment of a Cultural Center as part of a living memorial to the slain President. Funds rolled in from Americans and citizens of the world. The bipartisan collective agreed the on-going mission of the Kennedy Center was to :
*create a venue for music, drama, dance, and other performing arts
*meet the highest level of excellence and reflect cultural diversity
*ensure educational outreach,
*and provide a suitable memorial within the Center to honor the late President.
On the eastern bank of the Potomac River, on December 2,1964, President Johnson broke ground for the project. The Kennedy Center officially opened September 8, 1971. Richard Nixon was President.
Since that time, The Kennedy Center has celebrated artists who’ve made significant contributions to our Culture in many formats.
Kennedy Center Award to Yo-Yo Ma on view at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, Ma.
John F.Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston Ma
In 2008, after months of renovation the Eisenhower Theater, inside the Kennedy Center, reopened to accommodate Broadway-sized shows.
Forever evolving, today YouTube offers people beyond the D.C.campus access to many of the Center’s performances on-line. But to remain true to it’s commitment to meet the highest standards of excellence and provide a suitable memorial for President Kennedy’s memory, the nearly-fifty year old Center needs to be dusted-off and updated.
On August,13th, 2025, President Donald Trump announced plans to refresh the Kennedy Center extensively. The intention is to ensure the venue is the premier setting for performing arts in the United States. With Congressional approval the reputation of the Kennedy Center will fulfill it’s mission to be a living monument of exceptionalism in American arts.
Photo Credit : The White House Wire/ Kennedy Center
As it was with First Ladies Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Kennedy, the concept of having a dynamic Cultural Center to celebrate all Art is not left, not right, but forward for the common-wealth of all Americans.
For upcoming performances : www.kennedy-center.org
Headline photo credit: JFK Presidential Library/Museum
Discover more from She The People News explores the world of business, culture and politics from a woman’s point of view.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.