On Monday afternoon, July 28, 2014,  President Obama will award the 2013 National Medal of Arts to distinguished recipients in the East Room. The First Lady will also attend.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities were established by the Congress in 1965 as independent agencies of the Federal Government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with State arts agencies, local leaders, other Federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the Nation. The Endowment brings high-quality historical and cultural experiences to large and diverse audiences in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five territories.

At next week’s event, the President will deliver remarks and present the awards to the following individuals and organizations:

2013 National Medal of Arts

• Julia Alvarez, Novelist, Poet, and Essayist, Weybridge, VT
• Brooklyn Academy of Music, Presenter, Brooklyn, NY
• Joan Harris, Arts Patron, Chicago, IL
• Bill T. Jones, Dancer and Choreographer, Valley Cottage, NY
• John Kander, Musical Theater Composer, New York, NY
• Jeffrey Katzenberg, Director and CEO of DreamWorks, Beverly Hills, CA
• Maxine Hong Kingston, Writer, Oakland, CA
• Albert Maysles, Documentary Filmmaker, New York, NY
• Linda Ronstadt, Musician, San Francisco, CA
• Billie Tsien and Tod Williams (receiving individual medals), Architects, New York, NY
• James Turrell, Visual Artist, Flagstaff, AZ