PCAH
Co-Hosts National Medals Ceremony
In a ceremony at the White House, 20 National Medals for the Arts and
the Humanities were presented by President and Mrs. George Bush in early
November to legendary artists, renowned scholars and institutions. The
awards honor extraordinary contributions to the arts and humanities and
are the highest recognition the U. S. bestows on its artists and scholars.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH)
and its Chairman Adair Margo co-hosted the arts and humanities medals
at the White House and provided private financial support for these Presidential
honors. In addition to this year’s ceremony, President's Committee
member Elizabeth Dubin and her husband Richard held a dinner honoring
the humanities medalists where NEH Chairman Bruce Cole paid tribute to
their extraordinary contributions to the cultural life of the nation.
The National Humanities Medal, first awarded in 1989 as the Charles Frankel
Prize, honors individuals and organizations whose work has deepened the
nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens' engagement
with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand America's access to
important humanities resources. Recipients of the National Humanities
Medal included Nobel economist James Buchanan, a professor at George Mason
University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; historian
Nickolas Davatzes, the founder of the History Channel; poet and classics
translator Robert Fagles; classicist Mary Lefkowitz; religion historian
Mark Noll; and historian Kevin Starr, the state librarian emeritus of
California, who has written more than a million words about the state.
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, a public policy center
at Stanford University received the humanities organization award.
The National Medal of Arts, established by Congress in 1984, is awarded
by the President to those who have made extraordinary contributions to
the creation, growth, and support of the arts in the United States. This
year’s recipient’s include William Bolcom, classical composer,
Ann Arbor, MI; Cyd Charisse, dancer, Los Angeles, CA
Roy R. DeCarava, photographer, Brooklyn, NY; Wilhelmina Holladay, arts
patron, Washington, DC; Interlochen Center for the Arts, school of fine
arts, Interlochen, MI; Erich Kunzel, conductor, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra,
Cincinnati, OH; Preservation Hall Jazz Band, jazz ensemble, New Orleans,
LA; Gregory Rabassa, literary translator, Brooklyn, NY; Viktor Schreckengost,
industrial designer/sculptor, Cleveland, OH; and
Dr. Ralph Stanley, bluegrass musician, Coeburn, VA.
Additional information on the National Medal of the Arts can be found
here and the
National Humanities Medal here.
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