And the difference in wages between male and female cops
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 2,000 shows per year, including its annual honors ceremony, which celebrates artists who have made significant contributions to United States culture.
Recently however, President Donald Trump appointed himself as the center's new chairman and has proposed radical new changes as to how the venerable institution is run. The move marks the latest chapter in a story that began in the mid-1930s, when the idea for a national cultural center was first mooted. So how did the Kennedy Center evolve, and what does Trump's takeover mean for the arts in general?
Click through and raise the curtain over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
On December 2, 1964, with members of the Kennedy family looking on, President Johnson took part in the ground-breaking ceremony for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
As the project started to take shape, Durell invited Kennedy to view a scale model of the proposed United States National Cultural Center in October, 1963.
After Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill renaming the proposed National Cultural Center the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at the White House in January 1964. He's pictured handing one of the pens he used to Senator Edward Kennedy.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is named after the 35th President of the United States. But the Kennedy Center, as it's often referred to, initially went by a different name.
Kennedy family matriarch Rose Kennedy and Edward Kennedy are pictured in the presidential box applauding during the center's opening gala.
From then on the slain president's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, took a keen interest in the project. She'd already been recruited as honorary chairman of the center, with former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower drafted in as co-chairman.
Excavation of the site got underway in 1965, and was cleared by January 1967. By 1970 much of the construction had been completed. The total cost of the project was US$70 million ($586 million in 2025, adjusted for inflation).
The formal gala and premiere performance of 'Mass' took place on the evening of September 9, 1971, in the Opera Hall.
The following night the Concert Hall was inaugurated with a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antal Doráti.
'Mass,' a musical theater work by Leonard Bernstein, had been commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy and was previewed to members of Congress before its public performance. The composer is seen with Joan Kennedy, wife of Senator Edward Kennedy.
The Kennedy Center was officially inaugurated on September 8, 1971. It's location in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is very near the Watergate complex, which just 10 months later was the scene of the infamous burglary that led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.
It was Eleanor Roosevelt who, back in 1933, discussed the idea of a national cultural center with the Emergency Relief and Civil Works Administration.
In the wake of the Trump-led changes, several performers cancelled shows at the iconic Washington venue. These included a growing number of LGBTQ artists and musicians.
In 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors were established. The annual honors are given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. In that inaugural year, Marian Anderson, Fred Astaire, George Balanchine, Richard Rodgers, and Arthur Rubinstein were recognized, with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter presenting the accolades.
Kennedy believed in the vital role of the arts in American life as sincerely as he believed in public service. "Art is the great democrat," he wrote, "calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color."
In February 2025, Deborah Rutter was dismissed as Kennedy Center president along with the center's board members after President Donald Trump was made chairman of the organization. Trump replaced the board with political loyalists and named his longtime foreign policy adviser, Richard Grenell, as interim executive director of the storied music, theater, and dance institution.
Francis Ford Coppola, Grateful Dead members Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, and the Apollo Theater were the honorees in 2024. The special award presented to the Apollo Theater marked the first time an institution had been recognized. Joe Biden presided over the ceremony.
In September 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Cultural Center Act, which provided momentum for the project.
In December of 2019, Congress passed a Sense of the Congress recognizing 2021 as the 50th anniversary of the opening of the center, which today is renowned globally for showcasing the best of American performing arts.
The first lady's idea was to create employment opportunities for out of work actors during the Great Depression.
Edward Durell Stone was selected as architect for the project in June 1959. His previous works included the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
On January 20, 1961 in Washington, D.C., John. F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States.
A month later, on November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas.
The costs involved in realizing the project had begun to spiral. Fundraising and donations helped to meet the outlay. Stone is pictured with Jean Kennedy Smith, a sister of the late President Kennedy, handing over a check.
The Eisenhower Theater was inaugurated on October 18, 1971, with a performance of 'A Doll's House' starring English actress Claire Bloom. In 1973, she appeared in the film version alongside Anthony Hopkins.
In May of 2016, the center kicked off the JFK centennial year, celebrating the 100th birthday of America's 35th President and honoring his legacy. Pictured is a bust of Kennedy by Robert Berks located opposite the entrance to the Opera House.
'Art And Ideals: President John F. Kennedy,' inaugurated in 2022, is a permanent exhibition dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's relationship with art.
In March, Trump visited the center for the first time since promoting himself to the position. He is proposing a more mainstream program of shows and events.
The hit Broadway show 'Hamilton' (pictured here in 2015 on opening night) is among the productions that cancelled dates at the Kennedy Center in protest.
Sources: (The Kennedy Center) (Reuters) (Sky News) (Pentagram) (Washington Blade)
See also: The biggest decisions made by Trump's administration (so far).
The building lights up in rainbow colors every night during the Kennedy Center Honors event, reflecting the rainbow-colored ribbon hung around the necks of the recipients and representing the full spectrum of the performing arts.
The fascinating history of the Kennedy Center
The evolution of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
LIFESTYLE Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 2,000 shows per year, including its annual honors ceremony, which celebrates artists who have made significant contributions to United States culture.
Recently however, President Donald Trump appointed himself as the center's new chairman and has proposed radical new changes as to how the venerable institution is run. The move marks the latest chapter in a story that began in the mid-1930s, when the idea for a national cultural center was first mooted. So how did the Kennedy Center evolve, and what does Trump's takeover mean for the arts in general?
Click through and raise the curtain over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.