The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

In 1958, President Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center in the nation's capital. Fundraising for the Center was launched by President and Mrs. Kennedy in 1962. Following President Kennedy's assassination, Congress deemed the National Cultural Center a "living memorial" to the late president and authorized funding to begin constructing the Center for the Performing Arts in his honor. The Washington D.C.-based Kennedy Center opened its doors thirteen years later to the public as a cultural center and an homage to the late President who championed the arts. Decades later, the Kennedy Center today hosts more than 2 million guests per year with over 2,000 events. The Kennedy Center offers programming and performances that showcase the performing arts in all its glory: from ballet to hip hop to theater; from jazz to contemporary dance to comedy; and from the homes of the Washington National Opera and the National Symphony Orchestra. The Kennedy Center strives to reach audience members who represent the rich diversity of American society by including programming for anyone interested in exploring all aspects of the performing arts.