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Welcome to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a vibrant cultural hub that connects thousands of artists with millions of people each year — in person, online, and in their home communities.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in the nation’s capital. In November of 1962, President and Mrs. Kennedy launched a $30 million fundraising campaign for the Center’s construction. Former President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie participated in the event which demonstrated the bipartisan support for a world-class center for the performing arts in D. C. In 1963, President Kennedy signed legislation to extend the fundraising deadline for the Center.
Two months after President Kennedy’s assassination, by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on January 23, 1964, the nation’s National Cultural Center was designated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. By this Act, President Kennedy’s devotion to the advancement of the performing arts in the United States was recognized.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in the nation’s capital. In November of 1962, President and Mrs. Kennedy launched a $30 million fundraising campaign for the Center’s construction. Former President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie participated in the event which demonstrated the bipartisan support for a world-class center for the performing arts in D. C. In 1963, President Kennedy signed legislation to extend the fundraising deadline for the Center.
Two months after President Kennedy’s assassination, by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on January 23, 1964, the nation’s National Cultural Center was designated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. By this Act, President Kennedy’s devotion to the advancement of the performing arts in the United States was recognized.
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Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy is a major permanent exhibit in the massive roof-level Atrium that explores Kennedy’s appreciation and promotion of the arts and why the Kennedy Center came to be the living memorial to him and his ideals.
Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy is a major permanent exhibit in the massive roof-level Atrium that explores Kennedy’s appreciation and promotion of the arts and why the Kennedy Center came to be the living memorial to him and his ideals.
See an interactive visual timeline of the Kennedy Center — from its conception in the late 1950s through the opening in 1971 and great moments leading up to today.
On September 7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated its expanded campus with the opening of the REACH.
Explore the REACH and its programming here.
Across all that we do, the Kennedy Center strives to cultivate a culture of inclusiveness, in which our art and our audiences are as rich, diverse, and ever-changing as America itself. Whether you’re visiting our campus in Washington, D.C., tuning in to our Digital Stage, or learning through our education programs, we invite you to experience, explore, and engage with the arts.
2 million visitors
1.6 million ticket buyers
1.4 million students served
2,200+ performances & exhibits
400+ free performances & events
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