The last week in January saw two significant resignations in the arts world. Deborah Rutter, who became president of the Kennedy Center in 2014, stated her tenure will conclude at the end of 2025. In addition, Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) since last year, left her position on Jan. 20.
During Rutter’s years at the Kennedy Center, the institution saw growth in its fundraising and the expansion of the Center with the opening of the REACH, a combined performance and education space. The Center’s board has formed a search committee.
David M. Rubenstein, Kennedy Center board chairman, emphasized Rutter’s contributions to the arts center.
“Her legacy will be the Center’s increased relevance, visibility, and physical footprint,” said Rubenstein, a philanthropist and businessman. “She also led the organization in welcoming new art forms and audiences and unprecedented fundraising.”Maria Rosario Jackson resigned as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts on Jan. 20. (Courtesy of National Endowment for the Arts)Jackson headed NEA, an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of arts and arts education in communities nationwide. The agency also is a catalyst for public and private support for the arts. Founded in 1965 during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the NEA oversees three extensive grant programs for arts organizations and research. The independent organization presents two lifetime achievement awards: NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, the nation’s highest honor in jazz, and National Heritage Fellowships, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. NEA oversees the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government and presented by the President.Jackson was the first African American and Mexican American confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead NEA. “I believe deeply in the NEA’s mission to ensure that all people in the United States have access to and benefit from the arts and arts education,” she wrote in her resignation letter. “The arts help us heal, bridge, connect, and thrive.”
Source: Washington Informer
