New York Theater: Donald Trump took over as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – which he told reporters he had never visited – on the birthday last week of Abraham Lincoln, who was a frequent theatergoer.
Attitudes and actions involving the arts have varied considerably from president to president, and Presidents Day, a federal holiday that this year is being celebrated today, seems a good time to sample that history.
3 comments:
This nice little walk through theater history across the different presidents was really interesting to see. I honestly had no idea so many presidents tried so hard to make sure that America continues to value and create art. Then there was a sharp left turn into the Trump administration. It's interesting that he's so against government funding of the arts, when even though it's kind of a downer to admit it, Trump started his public career as an artist. He produced a play, was the lead in a reality TV show, he spent so much of his life creating art, and now he’s just like screw that, the theater is too woke, lets get rid of it. The whole idea of government funded art is an interesting subject, because I believe all art is pretty inherently political. I can understand the view that governments should be separate from art because when they get involved it quickly goes from art to propaganda. But even with that said, trying to get rid of the NEA is just a sad thing for a president to focus so much energy on.
I did not know that early presidents like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson paid attention to the arts. Whenever I have learned or read about them in the past there was no mention of artistic influences or interests. The closest thing I can think of is Thomas Jefferson’s time in France, and the cultural influences that resulted from his experiences there. It did not surprise me as much to read that Abraham Lincoln was a lover of the theatre, due to him being assassinated in a theater. I think that this trend of presidents showing an appreciation for the arts has gone largely unnoticed or unmentioned because the arts are not often a priority, or considered important. It makes what is happening right now with Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center even more heartbreaking, because this is one of the few times I’ve seen articles talking about a president in relation to art.
This article reveals an interesting and concrete connection between the arts and politics but I think the thing that drew my eye was Trump's quote “I didn’t want to go. There was nothing I wanted to see”. The art is not about seeing Mama Mia for the 50th time, its storytelling and not every show is going to be about one specific culture within our society. Live theater and art allow an audience to gain a personal experience in a world unlike their own building compassion and love through communities. Just stating that a show is boring to you may be completely different to someone who worked on the production or deeply relates to the story. I also think that with everything that has happened in regards to The Kennedy Center and how it is currently being treated Trump has stood by his word to limit the artistic expression of everyone's unique voices creating something only he would want to see.
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