By Kaanita Iyer

(CNN) — The Kennedy Center has started taking down a stick figure sculpture on the grounds as President Donald Trump has aimed to reshape the performing arts institution, including with new art.

A CNN affiliate observed cranes removing pieces of the large statue on Wednesday morning. The National Park Service temporarily closed a road for several hours for the statue’s removal.

Called “Blue,” from the artist Joel Shapiro, the statue depicts a stick figure “mid-kick.” It was installed outside the Kennedy Center in 2019.

A Kennedy Center spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that the venue requested the “deinstallation,” which the person described as “common practice.”

“We are deeply grateful to Joel Shapiro for the years Blue has spent animating our campus and connecting visitors to his vision,” the spokesperson said. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy.”

A former curator for the institution, Josef Palermo, told CNN that in September 2025, he was told to remove all of the outdoor art, including “Blue,” as the president wanted “all new art for the reopening.”

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, he has made several moves to reshape the Kennedy Center, including hand picking the center’s board of trustees and being elected its chair. The board later voted to add his name to the building, an effort that faced legal challenges.

The activist organization “Hands Off the Arts” described the sculpture as a “beloved figure” in an Instagram post and called its removal “buffoonery.”

“Wednesday, September 2, 2026 will forever be known as the day the United States government tore down a piece of public art at the behest of a petulant crybaby,” the organization said, seemingly referring to Trump. “But it won’t be the last.”

Earlier this year, Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would close for around two years for renovations. It was slated to close on July 4 but a federal judge blocked the renovation plans, ruling that they were made unlawfully.

But the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center board have continued to push back on legal challenges. Last month, lawyers for the center threatened to demolish the building if renovations aren’t allowed. The board has also said it will once again add Trump’s name to the building.

The-CNN-Wire
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