An excellent achievement for an artist in the USA is the National Medal of the Arts presented by the USA President every year. If you’re unaware of Art Medal, Its History, and its Winners, then stay here! In this post, you’ll know How, where, and why the artists won the American Medal of the Arts. Let’s discover!
What is the National Medal of the Arts?
In 1984, the U.S. Congress established the Award of excellence for all artists named the National Medal of Arts to recognize and celebrate artists and art-lovers alike. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the U.s. government upon local artists lovers. An advisory council, known as NEA (National Endowment for Arts) and NCA (National Council on Art), guides awards to the White House. Obert Graham created the National medal award for the NEA.
The national Medal of the Arts is to recognize artists who have made outstanding contributions toward independent creative expression. The National Medal of Arts is one of our country’s highest honors for artistic excellence. They designated it as:
“a national award for individuals whose work contributes significantly toward advancing civilization”.
List Of National Medal of the Arts Patrons
Winners of the Art Medal in the USA are listed here in sequential sequence. The American President awards the National Medal that’s inaugurated in the year 1984, every year. People or organizations that have made significant participation in the development and growth of the USA’s creativity and arts deserve special attention.
1985
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Elliott Carter
- Dorothy Buffum Chandler
- Ralph Ellison
- José Ferrer
- Martha Graham
- Hallmark Cards, Inc.
- Lincoln Kirstein
- Paul Mellon
- Louise Nevelson
- Georgia O’Keeffe
- Leontyne Price
- Alice Tully
1986
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Marian Anderson
- Frank Capra
- Aaron Copland
- Willem de Kooning
- Agnes de Mille
- Exxon Corp.
- Seymour H. Knox
- Eva Le Gallienne
- Alan Lomax
- Dominique de Menil
- Lewis Mumford
- Eudora Welty
1987
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Romare Bearden
- J.W. Fisher
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Armand Hammer
- Sydney and Frances Lewis
- Howard Nemerov
- Alwin Nikolais
- Isamu Noguchi
- William Schuman
- Robert Penn Warren
1988
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Brooke Astor
- Saul Bellow
- Sydney J. Freedberg
- Francis Goelet
- Helen Hayes
- Gordon Parks
- I.M. Pei
- Jerome Robbins
- Rudolf Serkin
- Roger Lacey Stevens
- Obert C. Tanner
- Virgil Thomson
1989
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Leopold Adler
- Dayton Hudson Corp.
- Katherine Dunham
- Alfred Eisenstaedt
- Martin Friedman
- Leigh Gerdine
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Walker K. Hancock
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Czesław Miłosz
- Robert Motherwell
- John Updike
1990
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- George Abbott
- Hume Cronyn
- Merce Cunningham
- Jasper Johns
- B.B. King
- David Lloyd Kreeger
- Jacob Lawrence
- Harris and Carroll Sterling Masterson
- Ian McHarg
- Beverly Sills
- Southeastern Bell Corp.
- Jessica Tandy
1991
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Maurice Abravanel
- Roy Acuff
- Pietro Belluschi
- J. Carter Brown
- Kitty Carlisle
- Honi Coles
- John O. Crosby
- Richard Diebenkorn
- R. Philip Hanes, Jr.
- Pearl Primus
- Isaac Stern
- Texaco Inc.
1992
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- AT&T
- Marilyn Horne
- Allan Houser
- James Earl Jones
- Minnie Pearl
- Robert Saudek
- Earl Scruggs
- Robert Shaw
- Billy Taylor
- Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown
- Lila Wallace–Reader’s Digest Fund
- Robert Wise
1993
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Walter and Leonore Annenberg
- Cab Calloway
- Ray Charles
- Bess Lomax Hawes
- Stanley Kunitz
- Robert Merrill
- Arthur Miller
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Lloyd Richards
- William Styron
- Paul Taylor
- Billy Wilder
1994
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Harry Belafonte
- Dave Brubeck
- Celia Cruz
- Dorothy DeLay
- Julie Harris
- Erick Hawkins
- Gene Kelly
- Pete Seeger
- Catherine Filene Shouse
- Wayne Thiebaud
- Richard Wilbur
- Young Audiences
1995
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Licia Albanese
- Gwendolyn Brooks
- B. Gerald and Iris Cantor
- Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee
- David Diamond
- James Ingo Freed
- Bob Hope
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Arthur Mitchell
- Bill Monroe
- Urban Gateways
1996
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Edward Albee
- Boys Choir of Harlem
- Sarah Caldwell
- Harry Callahan
- Zelda Fichandler
- Lalo Guerrero
- Lionel Hampton
- Bella Lewitzky
- Vera List
- Robert Redford
- Maurice Sendak
- Stephen Sondheim
1997
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Louise Bourgeois
- Betty Carter
- Agnes Gund
- Dan Kiley
- Angela Lansbury
- James Levine
- MacDowell Colony
- Tito Puente
- Jason Robards
- Edward Villella
- Doc Watson
1998
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Jacques d’Amboise
- Fats Domino
- Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
- Frank O. Gehry
- Barbara Handman
- Agnes Martin
- Gregory Peck
- Roberta Peters
- Philip Roth
- Sara Lee Corporation
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- Gwen Verdon
1999
Art Medal Recipients include the following persons
- Irene Diamond
- Aretha Franklin
- Michael Graves
- Juilliard School
- Norman Lear
- Rosetta LeNoire
- Harvey Lichtenstein
- Lydia Mendoza
- Odetta
- George Segal
- Maria Tallchief
2000
In 2000, National Medal of art recipients including:
- Harold Prince
- Claes Oldenburg
- Lewis Manilow
- Chuck Close
- Benny Carter
- Eddy Arnold
- Maya Angelou
- Barbra Streisand
- Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Horton Foote
- Itzhak Perlman
- NPR cultural Program Division
2001
The Art Medal Recipients include the following persons in 2001:
- Yo-Yo Ma
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Mike Nichols
- Johnny Cash
- Kirk Douglas
- Judith Jamison
2002
In 2002, the USA Medal of Arts was presented to the following artists and arts patrons in White
House.
- George Jones
- Al Hirschfeld
- Uta Hagen
- Philippe de Montebello
- Trisha Brown
- Florence Knoll Bassett
- Ming Cho Lee
- Lawrence Halprin
- Smokey Robinson
2003
The highest Award earned by the following arts recipients:
- George Strait
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir
- Buddy Guy
- Rafe Esquith
- Austin City Limits
- Suzanne Farrell
- Beverly Cleary
- Ron Howard
- Leonard Slatkin
- Tommy Tune
2004
In 2004, a very outstanding contribution to the Medal of the Arts nomination was held and following persons won Award:
- Carlisle Floyd
- Vincent Scully
- W. Mellon Foundation
- T. Tharp
- R. Hart
- Anthony Hecht
- Ray Bradbury
- John Ruthven
2005
In 2005, a competition of arts in the United States was held, and the following artists won the National Medal Award:
- Pennsylvania Academy
- Robert Duvall
- Wynton Marsalis
- Leonard Garment
- Ollie Johnston
- Louis Auchincloss
- James DePreist
- Paquito D’Rivera
- Dolly Parton
- Tina Ramirez
2006
Next year, again competition of arts in the United State held, and the following deserving artists and art patrons were awarded the National Medal Of arts:
- Viktor Schreckengost
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- Interlochen Center for the Arts
- Roy DeCarava
- Cyd Charisse
- William Bolcom
- Wilhelmina C. Holladay
- Erich Kunzel
- Gregory Rabassa
- Ralph Stanley
2007
In 2007, outstanding contributions in special recognition of art programs were shown by the following person:
- R. Craig Noel
- George Tooker
- Les Paul
- Scott Momaday
- A. Wyeth
- R. Neuberger
- Morten Lauridsen
- Henry Steinway
2008
With the growing support and availability of creativity in people, the following persons showed great dedication and contribution to the excellence in art competitions:
- Presser Foundation
- José Limón Dance Foundation
- Hank Jones
- Fisk Jubilee Singers
- Olivia de Havilland
- Ford’s Theatre Society
- Stan Lee
- Jesús Moroles
- Sherman Brothers
2009
With time, arts education had become widespread. So, the following persons showed excellent growth support in arts programs and won the National Medal of the Arts:
- Michael Tilson Thomas
- School of American Ballet
- Oberlin Conservatory of Music
- Rita Moreno
- Frank Stella
- Milton Glaser
- Clint Eastwood
- Joseph P. Riley
- Bob Dylan
- Maya Lin
- John Williams
- Jessye Norman
2010
- Meryl Streep
- Robert Brustein
- James Taylor
- Jacob’s Pillow Festival
- Quincy Jones
- Sonny Rollins
- Mark di Suvero
- Harper Lee
- Donald Hall
- Van Cliburn
2011
- André Watts
- Mel Tillis
- Will Barnet
- Martin Puryear
- Emily Rauh Pulitzer
- Al Pacino
- Rita Dove
- United Service Organizations (USO)
2012
- Ellsworth Kelly
- Allen Toussaint
- Herb Alpert
- Renée Fleming
- Elaine May
- Lin Arison
- Tony Kushner
- John Myers Brown
- George Lucas
- Ernest Gaine
- Washington Performing Arts Society
- Laurie Olin
2013
- James Turrell
- Bill T. Jones
- Maxine Hong Kingston
- Julia Alvarez
- John Kander
- John Harris
- Linda Ronstadt
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Albert Maysles
- Billie Tzien and Tod Williams
- Brooklyn Academy of Music
2014
- Luis Valdez
- Ping Chong
- Ann Hamilton
- John Baldessari
- Meredith Monk
- Miriam Colón
- Sally Field
- Stephen King
- George Shirley
- Tobias Wolff
- University Musical Society
- The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
2015
- Sandra Cisneros
- Philip Glass
- Mel Brooks
- Moisés Kaufman
- O’Neill Theater Center
- Ralph Lemon
- Audra McDonald
- Morgan Freeman
- Berry Gordy
- Jack Whitten
- Santiago Jiménez
2019
- Jon Voight
- Sharon Percy Rockefeller
- Alison Krauss
- Musicians of the US Military
2020
- Earl A. Powell III
- Toby Keith
- Mary Costa
- Ricky Skaggs
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who gives the National Humanities Medal Art?
Every year, the USA President chooses winners of the National Medal of Humanities with (NEH) National Endowment for Humanities. NEH starts and oversees the nomination and decision-makers.
2. What is the highest award for a painter?
The United States Government instituted the National Medal of Arts in 1984 to recognize and reward painters and deserving art patrons. It is the most fantastic accolade bestowed by the U.S. government on artists’ patrons.
3. Does the National Endowment still exist?
Projects demonstrating creative brilliance can receive support and funding from the NEA, an autonomous agency in the U.S. (Washington. Federal Government. Resident Lyndon B. Johnson signed an act into law establishing the organization.
Why we love arts and crafts?
Why we love arts and crafts? We love arts and crafts beacause they are enjoyed by people of all ages. For kids, crafts can be a fun and creative way to spend an afternoon. For adults crafting can be a relaxing hobby or a chance to express their creativity. Arts and crafts can also be used to DIY projects around the house or to create decor for your home.
Arts can be as simple as painting a picture or as complicated as building a piece of furniture. No matter what your skill level, there is an arts and craft project that is perfect for you. So why not try your hand at arts and crafts today? You might just find that you have a hidden talent for artful creation!
National Medal of the Arts Conclusion
To sum up, for the artist, the National Medal of Arts is the most fantastic accolade granted to artists and art lovers by the Government Of the United States. The American Medal of Arts is given by the USA President to persons or organizations who “are entitled of particular distinction by virtue of their remarkable achievements to the greatness, expansion, support, and accessibility of the arts patrons in the U.S.”
The National Medal of the Arts is the highest honor awarded to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Established in 1984, it celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the excellence, vitality, and diversity of American culture.
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