Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and Ken Burns are set to receive National Medals of Arts along with other notable personalities including singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah. The prestigious awards will be formally presented by President Joe Biden at a White House ceremony on Monday.
In addition to the aforementioned recipients, President Biden will also honor 19 individuals with National Humanities Medals. This distinguished group includes playwright-screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, historian Jon Meacham, and posthumous awardees such as the late singer Selena Quintanilla, artist Ruth Asawa, and chef-author Anthony Bourdain.
The National Medals of Arts are overseen by the National Endowment for the Arts, while the National Humanities Medals are managed by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The recipients of these awards are recognised for their exceptional contributions to the arts and humanities in the United States.
Among the recipients of the arts medals are actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen, musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta, photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, as well as artists and arts leaders such as Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz, Mark Bradford, Jo Carole Lauder, and Bruce Sagan.
The humanities medalists include former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor-literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast, and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. The recipients come from diverse fields such as cultural institutions, education, and academia, all contributing significantly to deepening the nation’s understanding of the human experience.
Notable names among the humanities winners are writer Juan Felipe Herrera, filmmaker Dawn Porter, and anthropologist Rosita Worl. The awards ceremony aims to celebrate and honour the remarkable achievements and contributions of these individuals to the arts and humanities landscape in the United States.