Kennedy Center to shut down for two years, installs Matt Floca

Body

The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted Monday to shut down the center’s operations for two years following the July 4 celebrations, a decision widely expected after months of resignations and cancellations tied to President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House before the board met, said the aim was to keep the institution at a high standard as it undergoes repairs.

“We’re going to ensure it remains the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world,” Trump told reporters, according to the Associated Press.

Alongside the two-year closure vote, the board also chose to install Matt Floca as chief executive officer and executive director, replacing Richard Grenell. The Associated Press reported that the center described the vote as unanimous, and that Trump used the meeting to publicly praise Grenell, saying he had been a longtime friend and wishing Floca “good luck with everything.”

The AP reported that Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member, did not cast a vote during the meeting. Beatty sued to prevent the Trump administration from excluding her from the Monday session, and a federal judge ruled over the weekend that she was entitled to participate; the ruling, the report said, did not require the board to allow her to vote.

The board meeting itself was hosted at the White House, underscoring the administration’s influence over the center during Trump’s second term. After returning to office last year, Trump ousted the previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman, while also bringing in Grenell, who had served in multiple capacities during Trump’s first term when the president largely ignored the Kennedy Center.

The leadership changes and programming shifts have been followed by fallout from the arts community, according to the AP report. The center’s lineup included Trump-friendly programming and it served as the venue for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary “Melania,” as the board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade—steps scholars and lawmakers said must be initiated by Congress.

The AP report said multiple artists withdrew from planned appearances, including actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny. Consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned, and earlier this month Jean Davidson, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, left to head the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, according to the report.

In February, the Associated Press reported, Trump said he would close the Kennedy Center to fix what he described as a dilapidated building, but did so without mentioning any abandoned performances. Ahead of the closure, Grenell warned staff about impending cuts that would leave “skeletal teams,” the AP reported.

Floca, who had been serving as vice president of operations, had joined the Kennedy Center in January 2024, according to his LinkedIn page, and the center’s time-linked press release described him as an experienced facilities management professional with a construction management background. His LinkedIn experience also listed District of Columbia government roles, including associate director of sustainability and energy and director of facilities management, and his reported education includes a Louisiana State University bachelor’s degree in construction management, the AP said.