President Biden to Award National Medals of Arts to Missy Elliott, Spike Lee, Queen Latifah & More.
President Joseph R. Biden will present the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals on Monday, October 21, 2024, in a private ceremony at the White House. This will be followed by a reception at 5:30 p.m. ET with remarks by President Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo).
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, said, “The arts enrich our lives, helping us to ask questions, imagine new possibilities, and create community. The NEA is pleased to join President Biden in congratulating the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients whose curiosity, creativity, hard work, and dedication have inspired and touched so many in our country and around the globe.”
The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government. It is awarded by the president of the United States to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States.
2022 National Medal of Arts recipients:
- Ruth Asawa (posthumous), artist
- Randy A. Batista, photographer
- Clyde Butcher, landscape photographer
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, museum and education center
- Melissa “Missy” Elliott, artist and producer
- Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, musician
- Eva Longoria, actress, director, and philanthropist
- Idina Menzel, actress and singer
- Herbert I. Ohta, musician
- Bruce Sagan, arts leader
- Carrie Mae Weems, visual artist
2023 National Medal of Arts recipients:
- Mark Bradford, artist
- Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
- Bruce Cohen, producer
- Alex Katz, artist
- Jo Carole Lauder, arts leader
- Spike Lee, filmmaker
- Queen Latifah, artist and actress
- Selena Quintanilla (posthumous), singer
- Steven Spielberg, filmmaker
