In addition to literally white-washing the Kennedy Center, booking religious and far-right programming and causing ticket revenue to plummet, Ric and the Icks have added an extra elitism to the halls at the Kennedy Center. Perhaps in response to the nouveau rich gold-plated aesthetic of the gilded faux gold President, there are now red-carpet, velvet-rope, step-and-repeat “celebrity” lines in the Hall of States. This week’s annual Kennedy Center Honors will put Trump’s Mara Lago Faux celebrity on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center.
In an attempt to add a bit of glam to the Kennedy Center, “Ric and the Icks” have just added to the administration’s gaudiness- a velvet rope of exclusion. The portraits of our dear leader and his name etched in marble were not enough. Grenell claims that the Kennedy Center is for ALL Americans, yet only a select few of the MAGA literati get the special pass to traverse the velvet ropes and pose for a glamour shot.
Want to snap a selfie with the KC wallpaper behind you? Wait, do you have a pass to the elite MAGA world? Who are the celebrities? A running list of D-rate MAGA influencers, Trump’s partisan cabinet sycophants, and anyone who wants to get in Trump’s dimly lit limelight -the only price is to sell your soul.
I was recently in an empty hall of states one afternoon with the group Hands Off the Arts while we delivered a sign-on letter to Ric Grenell, demanding that he recognize the recently formed Arts Workers United Union. I wanted to just get a casual selfie of myself with the Kennedy Center background and a cardboard cutout of Grenell’s head. I thought to myself, “They put out the red carpet for us.” As soon as I crossed the velvet rope, security informed me I wasn’t in the “in crowd.”
Ric, if you really wanted to open the doors of the Kennedy Center to ALL Americans, you would not have fired the Social Impact Team. Their entire job was to develop diverse audiences so that the Center more accurately reflected the US population. They brought in shows and events at the Center that expanded the stages and provided opportunities for people to see themselves, their voices, and their stories on stage. And guess what! Social Impact translates to…. Butts in seats and tickets purchased. Something you are having difficulty with.
Plus, I got news for ya, Ric: a celebrity line is great if you have crowds in the halls waiting to see performances, but you have done such a good job sullying the brand at the Kennedy Center that your halls are empty. Your celebrity velvet rope line is about as vacant as the concert halls under your failed leadership.
Instead of flinging the doors of the Kennedy Center open, you have slammed them shut and gilded them with the same fake gold that adorns the Oval Office. The halls and stages at the Kennedy Center are not yours and not your stages to produce MAGA’s tragedy opera “America’s failing Democracy. ” The halls and stages belong to US, the audience, the community, and the citizens of the United States.
We don’t need velvet-rope, red-carpet paparazzi lines. We want competent leadership and artistic excellence! Ric Grenell and Kennedy Center leadership, it’s time you are held accountable for your failures. Instead of posing for selfies and creating a faux celebrity status, get back to work supporting the artists, musicians, and union employees who make the Kennedy Center more than a mid-century modern box on the Potomac.
Leave a Reply