President Joe Biden will host a private ceremony at the White House to present the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts, as well as the National Humanities Medals to honorees including Eva Longoria, Idina Menzel, Ken Burns, Spike Lee, Queen Latifah and Steven Spielberg.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, October 21, 2024, 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.
The 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals will be presented at the same ceremony. Among the recipients are Roz Chast, Joy Harjo, Juan Felipe Herrera, and the organization Appalshop.
The National Endowment for the Arts manages the nomination process on behalf of the White House. Each year, the NEA seeks nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. The National Council on the Arts, the NEA’s presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, reviews the nominations and provides recommendations to the President, who selects the recipients.
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