“Opting for arts-administration and fundraising credentials over star power, the White House announced Wednesday that President Obama will nominate Jane Chu, president and chief executive of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo., as the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts,” writes Mike Boehm in Wednesday’s (2/12) Los Angeles Times CultureMonster blog. The Kauffman Center is the home of the Kansas City Symphony, among other arts organizations. “Chu has led the Kauffman Center since 2006, when it was still being planned. She oversaw a $414 million campaign to build the center, which opened in September, 2011…. Obama’s first [NEA] appointee, Rocco Landesman … turned 65 in 2012 and retired at the end of the year; the NEA’s senior deputy director, Joan Shikegawa has been acting NEA chairman since then. ‘Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate for artists and arts education in Kansas City,’ Obama said in a written announcement.… Chu’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.… Chu has worked mainly as an arts administrator and fundraiser, including serving as chief fundraiser for the Van Cliburn Foundation in Ft. Worth, Texas before coming to Kansas City.”
Posted February 13, 2014
