One figures that as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser tries to keep things on the up-and-up. Then again, if you’ve ever had the displeasure of reading any of his Huffington Post blog items, the following story might come as a treat.
Earlier this month, the Kennedy Center announced the recipients of the 35th annual Kennedy Center Honors—Dustin Hoffman, Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, David Letterman and Natalia Makarova. While that’s an impressive lineup of entertainers, it does continue a disconcerting trend among the annual celebration of the performing arts.
After seeing this year’s list of honorees, the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and National Hispanic Leadership Agenda sent letters to the Kennedy Center, President Obama and members of Congress lamenting the fact that for the 33rd time in the awards ceremony’s history, there are no Latino artists being featured.
The letter, Politico reports, calls for “major changes in the process by which Kennedy Center Honorees are selected and asking why there is a constant pattern of exclusion of Latinos.” Felix Sanchez, head of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, called it “unacceptable.”
In 35 years, the only Latino honorees have been the tenor Placido Domingo in 2000 and the actress Chita Rivera in 2002. Sanchez also called Kaiser to plead his case directly, even offering up a few names deserving of the Kennedy Center’s annual laurels. According to Politico, that list included the likes of Rita Moreno, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Ruben Blades, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan and Edward James Olmos.
But, Politico reports, the call didn’t go over too well, because Sanchez claims that after hearing his complaints, Kaiser responded in that most Cheney-esque way. “Go fuck yourself,” Kaiser said, before hanging up the phone.
A statement from the Kennedy Center tried to wash over the flap:
“The Kennedy Center has been and remains very supportive of Latino artists. In the last year alone, the Kennedy Center International Committee was in Spain, honoring Pedro Almodóvar, Sara Baras, Plácido Domingo, Paco Peña, and Tamara Rojo with the Kennedy Center Gold Medal in the Arts. The National Symphony Orchestra toured throughout the Latin American region this summer, giving concerts in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Through our DeVos Institute for arts management, we are working with dozens of Latino companies around the country to help build and strengthen arts organizations. Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser has also trained hundreds of arts leaders in Spain and Argentina, among many other countries. The President of Mexico has given him the Order of the Aztec Eagle in 2006 for his arts management training there.”
Looking at the complete list of Kennedy Center Honors recipients since the first ceremony in 1978, Sanchez’s point is well-taken. Aside from Domingo and Rivera, the roster is bereft of Latino artists. But, hey, as long as Kaiser has his little medal from the Mexican government.
