As furloughs grow, Kennedy Center defends Use of $25 million in aid

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, March 28, 2024


As furloughs grow, Kennedy Center defends Use of $25 million in aid
A section of the Reach, designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Kennedy Center’s first expansion in its nearly half-century history. Justin T. Gellerson/The New York Times.

by Julia Jacobs



NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Facing criticism for furloughing workers after it was granted $25 million in federal coronavirus relief funding, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday defended its need for the bailout and outlined its plans for the money.

The Kennedy Center in Washington, home of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, painted a dire picture of the pandemic’s economic effect, saying in a statement that even with the extra funding, the center would run out of cash as soon as July.

The center announced Tuesday that it would need to furlough around 250 people, roughly 60% of its full-time administrative staff, in addition to more than 700 hourly and part-time employees.

“It is imperative that we scale back the entire institution’s personnel costs during this time of closure and dearth of ticket income,” said a statement from the center, which canceled performances through at least May 10 but predicted that projected reopening date might be premature.

The defense came as some Republican legislators introduced a bill to revoke the $25 million designated for the Kennedy Center in the $2 trillion stimulus package that President Donald Trump signed into law Friday.

Some Republicans have made funding for the Kennedy Center a symbol of what they deemed wasteful spending on the part of Democrats. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, tweeted that the Kennedy Center was a “nice place” but did not deserve to get funding through legislation focused primarily on helping businesses and families in need.

Democrats had defended the funding, saying the Kennedy Center provides employment for nearly 3,000 people who would be risking losses as the performing arts center canceled shows and lost revenue.

Even Trump, in a break with some members of his party, voiced support for the funding, saying at a news conference that he’d “love to see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ ” at the Kennedy Center but that “you couldn’t go there if you wanted to.”

But pressure on the center has grown as it has announced the furloughs despite the infusion of federal aid. The Kennedy Center notified leaders of the National Symphony Orchestra that 96 musicians were being furloughed and would receive their final paychecks this week, prompting a pushback Tuesday from their union, the D.C. Federation of Musicians.

Lawyers representing the union sent a letter to a Kennedy Center lawyer arguing that the decision to stop paying musicians after this week was a violation of their collective bargaining agreement and that the center should have provided six weeks’ notice to the musicians.

According to the letter, the Kennedy Center had argued it could suspend the agreement on one week’s notice because of “exigent circumstances.”

On Tuesday, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., introduced a bill that would rescind the $25 million in funding, saying in a statement, “if an organization is receiving assistance from the federal government, we expect them to take care of their workers.”

In the numbers it released Tuesday, the Kennedy Center said that the majority of the funding it received — $22 million out of the $25 million — would be designated for employee compensation, benefits and artist contracts and fees. The rest of the money would go toward a deep cleaning of the facility, IT help for its new teleworking system, rent and other expenses. A spokeswoman for the center said it will pay for health care benefits for employees who are furloughed.

Arts institutions across the country are experiencing financial struggles like those of the Kennedy Center, which said it relies on ticket sales and donations for most of its operating budget.

The “skeleton staff” of roughly 150 people the center said would keep their positions include employees in finance, marketing, development and the box office. In addition to the musicians, furloughed staff members include ushers as well as workers in concessions, parking and retail.


© 2020 The New York Times Company










Today's News

April 2, 2020

Preeminent Antique Carpet Gallery Reaches Out to Clientele with Message of Inspiration

Museums scramble to document the pandemic, even as it unfolds

National Gallery of Art returns Picasso work to settle claim

Edinburgh arts festival cancelled due to virus: organisers

As furloughs grow, Kennedy Center defends Use of $25 million in aid

Hauser & Wirth to open online exhibition 'George Condo. Drawings for Distanced Figures'

Take a virtual tour of New York's museum district

Asuka Anastacia Ogawa joins Blum & Poe

Works by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva featured in Di Donna Galleries' inaugural online viewing room

Adam Schlesinger, songwriter for rock, film and the stage, dies at 52

Balcony stars bring joy to self-isolating French

2020 Porter Fleming Literary Competition award winners

Sotheby's launches online day sales of Contemporary and Impressionist & Modern Art this May

National Gallery of Victoria launches at home activities and education resources

Lamps burn bright at Jeffrey S. Evans 19th & 20th Century Lighting Auction

Hellmut Stern, 91, dies; Violinist returned to Germany after fleeing

Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage saved for the nation

Leading arts education charity supports the vulnerable during isolation with new digital platform

Chinese 'light painter' takes artistic inspiration from virus

Wallace Roney, jazz trumpet virtuoso, is dead at 59

The coronavirus hasn't slowed classical music

Yale Center For British Art's Scott Wilcox begins phased retirement after 3 decades

Bedroom composers all: Musicians are making art in a pandemic

Closing a business in UAE: Conditions to Meet to Undergo Company Liquidation

Full-Spectrum Cannabis Extracts vs CBD Isolate

The Difference Between Green Vein and Red Vein Kratom

What is Kratom, and Why Did They Ban it in The UK?

Enjoy the Splendor of Stunning Canvas Wall Art and Make Your Interior an Absolute Beauty




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful