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Art and the White House
President and Mrs. Kennedy made the White House a showcase for American performing arts. The first couple presented ballet, opera, poetry, Shakespeare, classical music, and jazz at social events, special concerts, and official State Dinners. The performances were public celebrations of the arts, covered by magazines and newspapers across the country.
Blending culture and politics was not new to the White House, but Kennedy relied on the arts to communicate American values more than any President before him. Special Consultant for the Arts August Heckscher observed, “it wasn’t a matter of social entertaining in the White House at all. This became a matter of recognizing great talent, regarding great achievement in the cultural field.” |