Kennedy Center to close for 2 years for renovations after a wave of canceled shows due to Trump adding his name to the buildingĀ 

​

PresidentĀ Donald TrumpĀ said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years starting in July for construction.

Trump’s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations since Trump ousted the previous leadership and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations.

Trump announced his plan days after theĀ premiere of ā€œMelaniaā€Ā a documentary of the first lady was shown at the storied venue. The proposal, he said, is subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. TrumpĀ himself chairsĀ the center’s board of trustees.

ā€œThis important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,ā€ Trump wrote in his post.

Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances, most recently, composer Philip Glass,Ā who announced his decisionĀ to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 ā€œLincolnā€ because he said the values of the center today are in ā€œdirect conflictā€ with the message of the piece.

Earlier this month, the Washington National OperaĀ announcedĀ that it will move performances away fromĀ the Kennedy CenterĀ in another high-profile departure following Trump’s takeover of the U.S. capital’s leading performing arts venue.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Ā Ā Ā 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *