Art vs Politics at Kennedy Center; Workers and Audience Caught in the Middle

May 1, 2025

Ed Malaga  -  AFM International Executive Board Member and President of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC)

The Kennedy Center’s February 12 change in leadership has become the subject of much discussion among members of the arts community and beyond. Following soon after this announcement was the news that a number of high-profile artists had made the decision to withdraw from their commitments to the center.

Currently, artists, arts creators, and others are reevaluating their relationships with the Kennedy Center. This is their right. As President John F. Kennedy once remarked, “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision where it takes him.”

The Kennedy Center, a living memorial to the performing arts, has always been a testament to Kennedy’s visionary support of the artists in our society.

Donors and audience members have also begun to reevaluate their support for our national performing arts center and the programming featured there. With respect to the conversations taking place among these groups, little attention has been focused on the impact these actions have on those whose livelihoods depend on the Kennedy Center’s success. It is important to provide additional context to the discourse by considering the implications to these workers.

The participation of artists and art creators is essential to the mission of the Kennedy Center. The Center was created through an act of Congress. First among the obligations of the Center’s Board in the National Cultural Center Act is a duty to “present classical and contemporary music, opera, drama, dance, and other performing arts from the United States and other countries.”

This mandate, focused on presenting these art forms, is not possible without the direct involvement of dedicated artists in each of these disciplines. As Kennedy said, “I see little of more importance to the future of our country than full recognition of the place of the artist.” This message will not continue to be heard without the voices of the artists he championed. The opportunity to utilize this important platform in service of that message will then be lost.

Kennedy Center Artists and Workers

The Kennedy Center is home to two world class orchestras: National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Their member musicians are represented by Local 161-710 (Washington, DC). We are justifiably proud of the artistic accomplishments of these orchestras and the essential role they have played in establishing the Kennedy Center as a major arts destination.

We also recognize that they are a part of a larger story. The fulfillment of the Kennedy Center’s mission would not be possible without the work of the many arts professionals represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE), Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and Stage Designers and Choreographers Society (SDC). The livelihoods of more than 1,500 artists and arts workers at the Kennedy Center are dependent on the robust support of the artistic community, audiences, and donors to ensure the continued vitality of one of the premier centers of American cultural life and performance. For more information, please visit https://kennedycenterunions.org.

Kennedy Center Audiences

Nonprofit arts organizations, such as the Kennedy Center, exist to connect audiences with the arts and to greater humanity. Kennedy said, “… art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgement.”

The success of the Kennedy Center’s mission is as dependent on the support of its audiences as of its artists. While federal funding provides for the repairs, operations, and maintenance of the building, it is public support that ensures performances by the amazing variety of artists employed at the center will continue long into the future. Support focused on specific programs, such as the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, is important.

Throughout this column I have repeatedly quoted from President Kennedy’s remarks at Amherst College on October 23, 1963. His address on this occasion, in honor of the poet Robert Frost, is truly inspirational and worth revisiting in its entirety. I feel it’s appropriate to end with one last quote from that day, “We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

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