Several entertainers and artists have severed ties with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since President Trump assumed chairmanship of the organization. This week, Brittany is joined by Paper Magazine writer Joan Summers and New York Times Magazine writer J Wortham to unpack the implications of a government-influenced national culture center, and the state of art in America today. Support public media and receive ad-free listening. Join NPR+ today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. This week, we're connecting the dots between the NFL, Aretha Franklin, and authoritarianism. I know. I know. How are all of these things connected?
Well, we're going to find out with paper magazine writer and co-host of the podcast Eating for Free, Joan Summers, and New York Times magazine writer, Jay Wortham. Joan, Jay, welcome to It's Been a Minute. Hi. Hello. Who would you want to do your Kennedy Center tribute?
Oh, God. Okay. I want, obviously, Carol Burnett to read my tweets and also my blogs from the beginning of my career. Like, that would be the greatest thing ever.
I want Viola Davis to read my best tweets.
You two, your levels of confidence about your past tweet history is admirable. I am shocked. I mean, it's the Kennedy Center Honors, so I would like Alice Coltrane to do a musical interpretation of my life on her harp. I don't want anything concrete tied to my actual existence, which is so embarrassing. So I just want the illusion of grandeur. Yes!
Let's get into it. Over the past couple of weeks, there's been some major leadership changes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a major cultural institution in Washington, D.C. that promotes the arts through nationwide programming, scholarships, events, and more.
And by honoring artists from Aretha Franklin to Stephen Sondheim, the Kennedy Center has become a symbol of the best the American performing arts community has to offer. The center has historically been run by a bipartisan board of trustees, but last week, President Trump replaced 18 members of the Kennedy Center board with his own picks.
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