Announcement of the
Recipients of the National Medal of Arts
The
President and Mrs. Reagan will present the National Medal of Arts to 12
Americans who have made a major contribution to the cultural life of the
Nation. The awards ceremony will take place during a White House luncheon
honoring the recipients on August 9th.
The
1988 National Medal of Arts will be awarded to writer Saul Bellow, actress
Helen Hayes, photographer/film director Gordon Parks, architect I.M. Pei, dancer/choreographer Jerome Robbins, pianist Rudolf Serkin, composer/conductor Virgil Thomson, art
historian/curator Sydney J. Freedberg, arts
administrator Roger L. Stevens, arts patron Brooke (Mrs. Vincent) Astor, music
patron Francis Goelet, and arts patron Obert C. Tanner. This will be the fourth annual
presentation of the National Medal of Arts, which unlike other arts awards is
not limited to a single field or area of endeavor. The medal is designed to
honor those who have encouraged the arts in this country and offered
inspiration to others either through distinguished achievement, support, or
patronage.
Proposed
by President Reagan, the National Medal of Arts was approved by Congress and
enacted into law in 1984. It specifically authorizes the President to award no
more than 12 medals each year ``to individuals or groups who in the President's
judgment 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.'' Sculptor Robert Graham designed the National Medal of
Arts. The 4-inch sterling silver medal depicts six dancing figures and the
words ``National Medal of Arts'' in bas-relief on the obverse. The reverse of
the medal bears the cast words ``
Nominations
for the National Medal of Arts are sought annually by the National Endowment
for the Arts. Recommendations for recipients of the medal are made by the
National Council on the Arts, the Endowment's Presidentially appointed advisory body, of the most
highly qualified candidates. These recommendations are then forwarded to the
White House for final selection by the President.