A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Kennedy Center to file a status report on its operations and programming and to explain the tarp and scaffolding that have covered the front of the arts complex since June 13.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper denied the Kennedy Center’s request for an extension on a prior deadline and set new requirements for the center to update the court. Cooper gave the center seven days after its July board meeting, or by July 31, to file a report detailing “the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding,” according to his order.
The tarp went up after the Kennedy Center’s administration slow-walked a court-ordered removal of President Trump’s name from the front of the building. Workers removed the lettering overnight on June 13, hours after the court’s deadline, and covered the sign with a tarpaulin. As of Monday, the sign remained hidden from the public. Trump’s name was removed from the center’s digital content on June 4.
The order is part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, against Trump and the Kennedy Center board. Beatty, an ex-officio board member, previously won a ruling from Cooper that she must be allowed to participate in board meetings. NPR has asked Beatty if she plans to vote at the July board meeting but did not receive an immediate response.
In a court filing last week, Kennedy Center President and CEO Matt Floca said the center’s management intends to present the board with three options for its future at a meeting in mid-July: a complete closure for extensive renovations; a partial closure “enabling some continued public access and limited programming” while renovations are undertaken; or “a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”
Trump, who now serves as the center’s chairman, had previously announced July 5 as the date the venue would close for renovations.
The Kennedy Center’s programming has been severely curtailed. Over the past year, many prominent artists canceled their planned appearances, citing the politicization of the venue. Most of the center’s programming staff have departed through layoffs or resignations. Floca, who was promoted to president and CEO in March, has no experience in artistic direction, fundraising or arts administration; he previously served as the center’s head of facilities and holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management, according to the court filing.
Currently, only a handful of outdoor free movie screenings and participatory workshops for children appear on the center’s calendar. In the past, the Kennedy Center presented over 2,000 arts and education events annually.
The center also faces litigation from a longtime tenant. On June 12, the Washington National Opera sued the Kennedy Center for $17 million, claiming the center had withheld “years’ worth of donor gifts, bequests and endowment funds” that had been intended specifically for the opera company.
When asked for comment on Wednesday, the Kennedy Center pointed back to the documents its legal team submitted to the court.