Ben Folds says he could no longer do his job at the Kennedy Center after Donald Trump’s takeover of the institution, arguing that the political climate made it impossible to protect artists from potential retaliation. The former artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, which was housed at the Kennedy Center, told a congressional forum Tuesday that he resigned out of concern that performers could be targeted if their words or work displeased the president or his allies.
Folds Says the New Environment Put Artists at Risk
“With the new partisan toxic environment under the current administration, I could not trust that artists I booked at the Kennedy Center would be safe from retribution if they said or sung something that might displease the president or his political lackeys who now controlled the Center,” Folds said. “I could not perform my job or the mission I was brought on to do, and for this reason, with great sadness, I had no choice but to resign.”
He added that the pressure surrounding performances at the center had become politically charged in a way that many artists would want to avoid.
“These days, if an artist agrees to perform at the Kennedy Center, they risk being seen as explicitly endorsing the Trump administration and all of its policies. Declining an invitation to perform at the Kennedy Center will have an equal and opposite political effect. There may be certain artists who will thrive in this environment. Comedians come to mind, but most want nothing to do with it, and will choose to create and perform their art elsewhere, and they are, and audiences are following,” he continued.
Speaking at a Democratic Forum on Trump’s Projects
Folds appeared Tuesday at a congressional forum convened by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) titled “Monumental Waste: How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarks.” The event also addressed Trump’s renovation of the East Wing of the White House and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, among other projects.
As one of the witnesses at the Democratic forum, the indie-pop singer and songwriter described his earlier role as the first artistic advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra during the first Trump administration. In that position, he said, he worked to shape programming and helped bring in artists including Jon Batiste and Sara Bareilles to appear with the orchestra.
Why He Resigned from the Kennedy Center
Folds said that once Trump selected his own board members for the Kennedy Center and made himself chair, the institution began changing in ways he could not accept. He and other artists eventually resigned, and he said the shift amounted to a politicization of art that threatened the center’s mission.
“I think most of us understand that when you politicize art, you get propaganda,” he said Tuesday.
He also said the takeover created a climate in which artists would be forced to weigh the political meaning of simply appearing at the center.
Trump’s Changes and the Ongoing Legal Fight
Since taking control, Trump affixed his name to the building and announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for renovations for two years. In May, a judge ruled the renaming unlawful and ordered Trump to remove his name from the building, while also putting a temporary halt to the planned closure after a lawsuit filed by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees.
Trump has said his takeover was driven in part by the Kennedy Center’s financial troubles, but Folds disputed that assessment when asked about it Tuesday.
“We had straight, sold-out shows on our programs, and as far as I knew, at least a few years came up in the black there. It is really, really impressive, and so no, I think the Kennedy Center was going through some golden years, in my opinion,” he said.
Questions About the Center’s Future
With the closure still unresolved and many artists pulling their programming from the center, the future of the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra remains uncertain.
In his witness statement, Folds warned that the institution had been weakened by a lack of arts administration experience at the top and by the consequences of political control.
“You have to marvel at anyone who would believe they could run the business of the Kennedy Center with no prior arts administration experience at all. We can see the result has been dwindling audiences, the exit of the Washington National Opera, the dismantling of the national public education outreach programs, and the demoralization of our National Symphony Orchestra. Many of the NSO privately believe that their jobs are in danger,” Folds said.
He continued, “So the takeover hobbled the Kennedy Center, broke its once proven successful business model, and disrespected its original core mission. The unlawful addition of the president’s name to the front of the building sent the Kennedy Center into further spiral. While his name has been removed, the Center’s future and the future of the NSO is still uncertain. Our beloved institution needs to be resuscitated.”
Folds closed by calling for leadership that would keep politics out of the arts and restore confidence in the center’s management.
“We need a vibrant Kennedy Center, whose leadership once again understands how to run its business, who will keep politics checked at the doors, who will ensure that only the most qualified arts administrators are in charge. Because we can see the damage that is caused when arts are run by politicians rather than people,” he concluded. “I can only hope your concerns can find their ways to the hearts and minds of your colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who seem absent today.”
