A growing wave of artistic protest has emerged at Washington’s premier performing arts venue as multiple acts cancel scheduled performances in response to the institution’s controversial renaming. The Kennedy Center’s board, recently populated with Trump allies, voted this month to rebrand the facility as ‘The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,’ triggering immediate backlash from the artistic community.
The Cookers, an acclaimed jazz ensemble, abruptly cancelled their planned New Year’s Eve performances. While their official statement avoided direct mention of the controversy, drummer Billy Hart confirmed to The New York Times that the name change ‘evidently’ influenced their decision. The group referenced jazz’s historical roots in ‘struggle and relentless insistence on freedom’ in explaining their withdrawal.
They were joined by Doug Varone and Dancers, who cancelled April engagements, stating they ‘can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.’ Folk artist Kristy Lee similarly cancelled her January performance, asserting she couldn’t ‘stand on that stage and sleep right at night’ when American history is being ‘renamed for somebody else’s ego.’
Center President Richard Grenell responded aggressively, characterizing the cancellations as ‘a form of derangement syndrome’ and alleging the artists ‘were booked by the previous far left leadership.’ He particularly targeted musician Chuck Redd, who cancelled his annual Christmas Eve performance, by demanding $1 million in damages for what he called a ‘political stunt’ that ‘has cost us considerably.’
The renaming has sparked legal and historical debates beyond the artistic community. Some lawmakers and legal scholars contend that because the center was named through 1964 legislation, Congressional approval is required for any official name change. Members of the Kennedy family have denounced the move, with former Congressman Joe Kennedy III emphasizing that the venue ‘is a living memorial to a fallen president’ that cannot be renamed ‘any more than someone can rename the Lincoln Memorial.’
Despite these objections, new signage reflecting the Trump name was added to the building’s exterior the day after the board’s vote, cementing the controversial change that continues to divide the arts community.