One of President Trump's first term appointees to the Kennedy Center for the Arts Board is to have a big idea of revamping the DC cultural flagship, a new space for Jacqueline Kennedy-centric fashion show, “yachts,” potentially even franchising facilities.
“It's shocking how many people don't know about the Kennedy Center and how to get there. Everyone in Milan knows about La Scala. Some people, Paolo Zampoli, a businessman who has been friends with Trump for decades, doesn't even know where the Kennedy Center is. He told the New York Times In an interview released on Monday.
In early February, Trump declared that he would close the terms of multiple Kennedy Center board members, making himself the new board chair.
His actions were filled with sharp disapproval from celebrities and performers, with several cancelled scheduled shows being centered.
Zampoli says he wants to help make the Kennedy Center a “bankable business.”
“The goal of the center is to bring in more money and people. But the Kennedy Center isn't really a destination. When people say, 'Hey, where are we going tonight?' You're not thinking about the Kennedy Center,” he said. “All the ideas I came up with are to make them the destination point.”
Asked about the nature of these ideas, Zampoli pitched a fashion show with Valentino in honor of the former first lady, including Gala, which sells $200 tickets.
“You can franchise the names of Kennedy Centres in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, just like the Loubles do in Abu Dhabi. That's an advantage,” he said.
“You can make a marina. Zampoli continued the universe on the Potomac River, near the famous Watergate complex. “It's very difficult to access the Kennedy Center. You put in a small marina and go there on the weekend – Yacht [park] There. You go to a beautiful restaurant. It will be a beautiful experience. ”
He also suggested that living artists create works that could travel through space on the International Space Station.
Zampoli said he hasn't spoken with Trump about the idea that the president may impose his own cultural preferences on the center, even though Trump says he wants to make the center “hot.”
He chaired Biden-era appointees and defended Trump's decision to purge the committee, noting that the Center falls under federal authority and that “previous board members' visions were not in line with the president's vision.”
“He felt that people around him would be totally against his views. He had the total right to fire them,” Zampoli said. There is a possibility of unlimitedness in the centre if the president is currently involved. ”
Last week, Trump announced that Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartilomo would be appointed to the board, joining other Trump-friendly names, including White House Susie Wills and Second Lady Usha Vance.
