President Trump's recent actions concerning the arts, including his intention to take over the John F. Kennedy Center and the dissolution of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, have sparked alarm among those who value the arts and their impact on society.
President Donald Trump sent shock waves through the world of arts and culture on Friday when he announced on Truth Social that he intends to appoint himself chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and terminate multiple board members. This unexpected move is one of many — big and small — that Trump has made to stamp his vision on the arts since taking office last month.
On Inauguration Day, Trump dissolved the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. That decision wasn't a surprise (Trump also disbanded the group during his first administration after 17 members resigned in protest over his response to a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.), but the action — along with Trump's designs on the Kennedy Center — should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about the wider impact of the arts on the country and the world. The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 to advise on issues of cultural and artistic import, was resurrected by President Joe Biden and included glitzy members such as George Clooney and Shonda Rhimes. Lady Gaga was its co-chair. It was stocked with curators, arts administrators, philanthropists, scholars and artists. Public records show that its budget was a mere $334,947 and that it advanced a total of nine recommendations — four of which were fully implemented — during its last two years of operation. According to information on the Federal Advisory Committee Act database (FACA), the committee's purpose was to advance policy objectives 'with respect to community well-being; economic development and mobility; public, physical, and mental health; education; resilience and adaptation, as well as combatting climate change; civic and democratic engagement; and support for the artistic and cultural heritage of the United States.' There are a number of phrases in the committee's stated goals that would have raised red flags with those seeking to implement the policy objectives of the current administration, including mention of climate change and cultural heritage. But I'm willing to bet that it wasn't those things that made the committee a target — it was simply its existence as a mechanism for promoting a healthy arts and culture ecosystem. The same could be said of the Kennedy Center, which stands as the nation's preeminent bastion of arts and culture. As a tool for dissent, the arts are unrivaled. They also build empathy, encourage creative problem-solving and build strong communities. None of these values appear to currently have a place in Washington.
ARTS CULTURE KENNEDY CENTER JOHN F KENNEDY CENTER PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANIT
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