Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds
The 24-foot work by Joel Shapiro is being taken down at the center’s request, and the National Park Service said closures are needed for safety.
- On Wednesday, crews removed 'Blue,' a 24-foot painted aluminum sculpture by artist Joel Shapiro, from the Kennedy Center grounds where it had greeted visitors to The REACH since 2019.
- Its removal follows President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape the Center, including installing a new board and placing his name on the facade; critics view the dismantling as part of his administration's controversial alteration of the cultural institution.
- The National Park Service closed northbound lanes of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway from 6 a.m. until approximately 1 p.m. Wednesday to facilitate the removal, while workers used a crane to disassemble the sculpture's appendages.
- Michael Sebastiani of advocacy group Hands Off the Arts called the dismantling 'dismembered,' while the Center stated it is 'deeply grateful to Joel Shapiro for the years Blue has spent animating our campus and connecting visitors to his vision.'
- Future plans for the sculpture remain unclear, as the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation will decide where it is reinstalled; officials have not confirmed if another artwork will replace the figure at the Center's campus.
40 Articles
40 Articles
An Iconic Part of the Kennedy Center Comes Down
A towering blue mid-kick figure that became a familiar sight along the Potomac began quietly coming down Wednesday morning. The Kennedy Center began dismantling "Blue," a 2019 outdoor sculpture by Joel Shapiro that the institution once billed as a permanent fixture of its Reach expansion, reports the New York Times...
Donald Trump Overhaul Sparks Kennedy Center Art Purge
The latest casualty in President Donald Trump’s attempts to completely alter the John F. Kennedy Center is a 24-foot human-like sculpture by Joel Shapiro. The Kennedy Center removed the sculpture, which had been a fixture at the center, on Sept. 2. Kennedy Center removes Joel Shapiro’s ‘Blue’ sculpture after it was reportedly targeted in Donald […]
The Record
The Seattle TimesKennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds
The Kennedy Center removed a sculpture known as “Blue,” a tall, blue stick figure designed by Joel Shapiro and installed in 2019. This change follows ongoing efforts by the center's Trump-aligned board to reshape the institution.
Kennedy Center disassembles 'Blue' sculpture from its ground
The Kennedy Center took down a sculpture known as “Blue” Wednesday, the latest change to the cultural and performing arts center that stirred some pushback in President Donald Trump’s second term. The sculpture, a tall, blue stick
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