Kennedy Center to remove landmark ‘Blue’ sculpture from campus
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.
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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
Trump Administration Dismantles Beloved Kennedy Center Sculpture
The monumental cobalt-colored sculpture of a cavorting stick figure that has greeted visitors to the Kennedy Center for the past seven years is being taken down and carted away, a victim of the Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to reshape the Washington, DC, landscape. Titled Blue, the twenty-four-foot high painted aluminum work is the creation of […]
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