On Monday, February 13, 2012 at 1:45 PM ET, President Obama will award the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in the East Room. The First Lady will also attend. This event will be open press and will also be live streamed at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.
Members of the media who wish to cover this event and do not have a hard pass must send their full name, date of birth, social security number, country of citizenship, gender, country of birth, and city and state of residence to media_affairs@who.eop.gov by 6:00 PM ET on Friday, February 10, 2012.
At Monday’s event, the President will deliver remarks and present the awards to the following individuals and organizations:
2011 National Medal of Arts
· Will Barnet
· Rita Dove
· Al Pacino
· Emily Rauh Pulitzer
· Martin Puryear
· Mel Tillis
· United Service Organization
· André Watts
2011 National Humanities Medal
· Kwame Anthony Appiah
· John Ashbery
· Robert Darnton
· Andrew Delbanco
· National History Day
· Charles Rosen
· Teofilo Ruiz
· Ramón Saldívar
· Amartya Sen
Below are the 2011 National Medal of Arts Citations which will be read at the ceremony:
Will Barnet for his contributions as an American painter, printmaker, and teacher. His nuanced and graceful depictions of family and personal scenes, for which he is best known, are meticulously constructed of flat planes that reveal a lifelong exploration of abstraction, expressionism, and geometry. For over 80 years, Mr. Barnet has been a constant force in the visual arts world, marrying sophistication and emotion with beauty and form.
Rita Dove for her contributions as an American poet and author. Ms. Dove creates works that are equal parts beauty, lyricism, critique, and politics. Ms. Dove has worked to create popular interest in the literary arts, serving as the United States’ youngest Poet Laureate and advocating on behalf of the diversity and vitality of American poetry and literature.
Al Pacino for his contributions as an actor and director to American film and theater. Mr. Pacino is an enduring and iconic figure, who came of age in one of the most exciting decades of American cinema, the 1970s. His signature intensity as an actor was originally honed for the stage, under the tutelage of Lee Strasberg, and he has become one of the most outstanding and accomplished American artists.
Emily Rauh Pulitzer for her contributions as a curator, art collector, and philanthropist. Mrs. Pulitzer has dedicated herself to connecting art and viewers through her generosity in caring for well-established institutions like the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Harvard Art Museums, and The Museum of Modern Art; as well as having the vision to create a new destination in St. Louis with the founding of The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.
Martin Puryear for his contributions as an American sculptor. Mr. Puryear transforms mundane and utilitarian materials – wood, stone, and metal – into evocative talismans that quietly and powerfully explore issues of history, culture, and identity. His unwavering commitment to manual skill and traditional building methods offer a seductive alternative to our increasingly digital world.
Mel Tillis for his contributions to country music. Mr. Tillis famously overcame a stutter to develop his iconic style, both poetic and down-to-earth. Having written over 1,000 songs and recorded more than 60 albums, Mr. Tillis brought his unique blend of warmth and humor to the great tradition of country music. He remains one of the most inventive artists of the golden generation of singer-songwriters.
United Service Organization for contributions to lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families through the arts. Through hundreds of events each year in 60 locations across 27 states and 14 countries, the USO continues the tradition begun by Bob Hope of bringing iconic American artists to entertain the troops who are protecting America’s freedom and culture at home and abroad.
André Watts for his contributions as an American pianist and teacher. Having debuted with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16, Mr. Watts has been a perennial favorite with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors around the world. His superb technique and passionate intensity have been the hallmarks of a 45-year career of recitals, broadcasts, and recordings that have broadly shared his interpretations of an extensive repertory from Mozart through Rachmaninoff.
Below are the 2011 National Humanities Medal Citations which will be read at the ceremony:
Kwame Anthony Appiah for seeking eternal truths in the contemporary world. His books and essays within and beyond his academic discipline have shEd Moral and intellectual light on the individual in an era of globalization and evolving group identities.
