‘Cruel’: Artist, former employee upset by Kennedy Center changes

The Trump administration’s sudden decision to close the Kennedy Center for renovations confused and disappointed some who have worked with the cultural institution in the past.

D.C. artist Philippa Hughes brings together people with different political viewpoints for dinner and was hoping to use her Kennedy Center residency to help expand that across the country. She also planned a variety show to mark 50 years since the fall of Saigon.

All of that came to a halt, she said, when the Kennedy Center ended her three-year residency after less than six months and canceled her show after she refused to remove a drag performance from the program.

“They’re making us afraid to speak out,” Hughes said. “They’re telling us that we can’t have artistic freedom, that we can’t say the things that we want to say through our art. And that’s very frustrating.”

Last year, President Donald Trump ousted 18 Kennedy Center board members, handpicked new members and named himself chair. The handpicked board later voted to add Trump’s name to the building, despite protests from other board members who said they were muted during the meeting. The name change led to numerous artists pulling out of shows and the Washington National Opera seeking a new home.

Now, Trump wants Kennedy Center to close for two years for renovations, noting the closure will allow faster, higher quality construction.

Hughes said she worries about what that means for the people who still work there.

“It’s very difficult to make a living as a working artist anywhere, not just in the city,” she said. “And so, to be cast out like that with such sudden, no notice, is just cruel to me.”

Trump posted on Truth Social, “Financing is completed, and fully in place! This 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, far better than it has ever been before.”

A former Kennedy Center talent wrangler told News4 the past year has been tough for her colleagues there.

“A lot of my friends were getting laid off and fired,” Sydni Flowers said.

She appreciated the diverse programs the center featured in past years.

“It was bringing a whole different culture into the Kennedy Center that had never experienced it before,” she said. “And it’s just really sad that not only are those programs gone, but that building, you know, who knows what it’s going to look like now.”

Trump said the renovation, which still needs to be voted on by the board, will cost about $200 million and Kennedy Center will close July 4. News4 reached out to Kennedy Center about events scheduled past that date but has not received a response.