Escalation: Trump appoints Commission of Fine Arts members
President Trump appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, restoring a quorum for its Jan. 22 meeting on the East Wing Modernization. The appointees are architect James McCrery, National Endowment for the Arts chair Mary Anne Carter, art critic Roger Kimball, and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C. A meeting planned the previous week could not be held for lack of members.
McCrery had led the now $400 million ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year. The White House is tentatively scheduled to formally present the project to the commission on Feb. 19 and March 19, when the panel could complete its review.
The proposal is a 90,000-square-foot addition to the East Wing, to be funded with private donations including from Trump. The East Wing has already been demolished, and the National Capital Planning Commission received an initial presentation on Jan. 8.
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