By now, we've all seen the headlines — and the fences — surrounding the Kennedy Center. As the Trump administration battles to carve his name on the iconic arts building — or failing that, potentially to demolish it — locals may feel powerless against the federal forces that sway our regional arts landscape.
Not so.
From supporting local theater organizations to joining a protest at the Kennedy Center, there are plenty of ways D.C. residents can make their voices heard. Below are just a few ways we've seen shared online (but please, share more here):
Rally with Kennedy Center workers, supporters, and volunteers
At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, several organizations are gathering for a protest at the Kennedy Center. The event, Hands Around the Kennedy Center, will feature live performances and speeches by organizers, including Tara Hoot, a drag performer who has been involved in the fight to preserve the center and its legacy since the beginning.
The turmoil surrounding the Kennedy Center has been ongoing for nearly two years, impacting local arts workers and loyal audiences. Out of that chaos emerged two new organizations: the Kennedy Center United Arts Workers, which represents production and administrative staff; and Hands Off the Arts, a coalition of volunteers who are sharing information and rallying the local arts community to "reverse the trend of partisan interference in the arts." Both organizations are involved in Friday's protest.
Other Kennedy Center employees, including most backstage and box office workers, are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 22. As the center remains closed, those workers will need jobs. Local arts organizations can get in touch with IATSE to hire them.
Support local arts organizations
At least one D.C. theater company is taking this moment as an opportunity to bring in much-needed funds for local arts. Jarrod Bennett, executive director of the Atlas Performing Arts Center, wrote in an appeal on Wednesday: "The loss of one of our nation's most significant stages, along with rehearsal halls and event spaces, leaves a real gap in DC's cultural ecosystem. We are doing everything we can to help fill it."
Bennett shared that donations to the non-profit arts center on H Street NE will support Atlas's effort to provide rehearsal and performance space for displaced artists, bolster its programming, and maintain D.C.'s creative economy. A "generous donor" is matching gifts, according to the statement.
Surely, Atlas isn't the only local arts organization that could use the bump in donations. It's also worth browsing the venues listed under the Washington Performing Arts umbrella, attending shows previewed during Theatre Washington's Theatre Week (Sept. 24 through Oct. 11), and generally getting familiar with the city's official arts agency, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Share your memories with @ourkennedycenter
Sometimes, nostalgia is the best medicine. Former Kennedy Center staffers understood this and recently launched an Instagram page where they're collecting memories from visitors, donors, artists, and employees who seek to honor the center's mission and legacy beyond the current spat with the Trump administration.
The organizers declined an interview request, but shared in an emailed statement: "For the past 20 months, many of us have held tight to our memories and experiences of our time at the Center since opening. With proud but heavy hearts, we wonder how to talk between news cycles about what the Center really was, what it meant, what we all created together, and what it could be again."
Elliot (he/him) is a senior reporter for The 51st and has covered the D.C. arts and culture scene for nearly a decade. Before joining The 51st, Elliot worked at Washingtonian Magazine, DCist/WAMU, and the National Press Club Journalism Institute.
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