National Cultural Center invites the country
to participate in exploring The Promise of US through
artistic and cultural programming that encourages everyone
to engage, evolve, and elevate in their own
communities
"I look forward to an America
which will not be afraid of grace and
beauty"
– President John F. Kennedy,
Amherst, MA (1963)
WASHINGTON, July 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kennedy Center announces it
will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
in 2026 with a yearlong celebration, The Promise of US.
This overarching inspiration will guide Kennedy Center 2026
programming as it reflects on our nation's progress and
acknowledges the work yet to be done.
Over the semiquincentennial year, the Kennedy Center's
programming will uplift and empower artists who speak to the
promise of our country and the promise of our peoples, organized
into three inspiration pillars: Sounds of US, Stories of US,
and Future of US.
"America has long been seen as a country that drives art
forward, from generation to generation," stated Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center President. "We
also recognize that our nation's 250-year-old artistic identity is
complex—embracing both individualism and the collective 'We The
People.' Our intention with this thematic programming is to capture
what the future holds for American culture. At its core, The
Promise of US is a call to participate—we invite artists,
audiences, and communities alike to join in creating performances,
convenings, new works, and conversations across the country."
The first opportunity for such participation will be
Portraits of US. Beginning today, the Kennedy Center invites
individuals to submit their own artistic self-portrait to create a
digital mosaic of faces that will express the promise of America's
future. Portraits of US submission details here.
Sounds of US revels in the diverse and unique
soundscapes that make up America and speaks to its promise.
- A Song For US – a brand new choral
work commissioned by the Center to foster understanding and
unity and promote the proven benefits of group singing. The new
piece, a gift to be shared with the country, will culminate in a
grand community sing at the Center.
- Sounds of US Series – 10
wide-ranging artists will be invited throughout 2026 to curate a
free day of events in response to the question "What does America
sound like?" Each artist will explore distinctive American sound
traditions and genres through their own artistic lens; programs
will include interactive workshops, live performances, and
exhibits.
- Songs for Tomorrow – The Center will launch an
online song-writing competition aimed at emerging composers and
songwriters. The context encourages participants to invite the
public into their songwriting process to create original songs
centered around the idea of "fearlessness."
Stories of US reflects on how artists—through visual
arts, theater, and interactive experiences—shape the narrative of
our nation through their art forms.
- Our Nation on the Millennium Stage – Throughout
2026, the Kennedy Center's series of free performances on the
Millennium Stage in D.C. will feature artists, companies,
independent filmmakers, and writers from all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, and the U.S.
territories. In a national outreach, Millennium Stage will also
tour in six communities across the country to showcase community
stages and spaces.
- ONE. TWO. THREE. – The Center teams up with
Canada's National Arts Centre and
Orange Noyée to present an exploration of migration and North
American identity. Playing themselves and portraying their own
stories and experiences, 12 Mexican, 12 Canadian, and 12 United
States artists and performers join forces with National Arts
Centre's Artistic Director of French Theatre, Mani Soleymanlou, to
create a bold and unique spectacle that challenges preconceptions
and transcends stereotypes about cultural heritage.
- National Scrollathon® Exhibition – As
previously announced, from May 26 through
September 7, 2026, the National Scrollathon® Exhibition led
by Steven and William Ladd, will
bring the nation's largest communal art-making effort to the
Kennedy Center after years of collaborations around the country.
This project, involving more than 250,000 participants invited in
collaboration with museums, arts centers, and service organizations
from all over the U.S., assembles an encompassing visual art
installation that will reveal the American story in all its
beautiful complexity and documenting where we are right now.
With Future of US, the Center looks forward
and anticipates the evolution and innovation of artistic and
cultural expression in America.
- America the Fearless Festival, June 15–July 12,
2026 – A four-week grand exploration of the essence of our
nation's art and culture—our diversity and the American spirit.
Encompassing all genres and art forms, the festival underscores the
idea that American culture is a living, breathing entity,
constantly evolving and being reshaped by its people.
- Kennedy Center Arts Hackathon – Designed to harness
the early career potential of artists and technologists as culture
changemakers, this two-day hackathon event will spark
interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Participants will
engage in team formation, ideation and development of projections
representing current and emerging trends in arts and tech.
Across the campus in 2026, the Center will celebrate American
choreographers; explore American stories, ideals, conflicts,
and compositions through a new cycle of works from Washington
National Opera; welcome back Hamilton and honor the American
musical theater tradition; and commission new works by American
composers across musical genres for the Kennedy Center and
National Symphony Orchestra.
More programs representing all three inspiration pillars will be
announced in 2025.
Throughout 2026, the Kennedy Center will be collaborating with
the Library of Congress, National Archives, the National Geographic
Society, PBS, and more organizations to be announced, to build
exciting programs and opportunities for audiences and participants
in D.C. and across the nation.
Specific program details will be announced in early 2025.
Organizations interested in learning more about The Promise of
US are invited to visit www.Kennedy-Center.org/PromiseofUS.
About the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's
living memorial to President John F.
Kennedy, attracting millions of visitors each year to more
than 2,000 performances, events, and exhibits. With its artistic
affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National
Opera, the Center is one of the nation's busiest performing arts
centers dedicated to providing world-class art, powerful education,
and outstanding memorial experiences to the broadest possible
constituency. Across all its offerings, the Kennedy Center is
committed to increasing accessible, inclusive opportunities for all
people to participate in, and learn through the arts, including
more than 400 free performances each year and a variety of
Specially Priced Ticket programs for students, seniors, persons
with disabilities, and others. On September
7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated the REACH, its
first-ever major expansion. Designed by Steven Holl Associates, the
REACH provides visitors with new opportunities to interact and
engage with the Center as the nation's premier nexus of arts,
learning, and culture. On September 8,
2022, the Kennedy Center unveiled Art and Ideals:
President John F. Kennedy, a new
7,500-square foot permanent exhibit exploring Kennedy's presidency
and his commitment to the arts. To learn more about the Kennedy
Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org.
For more information about the Kennedy Center,
please visit our website.
Discover the Kennedy Center on social
media:
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Tiktok: @kennedy.center
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SOURCE The Kennedy Center