White House Announces 2007 National Medal of Arts Recipients

Presidential initiative is managed by the National Endowment for the Arts

November 14, 2007

			Contact: Victoria Hutter (NEA) 202-682-5692 hutterv@arts.gov

Washington, D.C. -- President George W. Bush today will announce the recipients of the 2007 National Medal of Arts. Nine medals will be presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an East Room ceremony at the White House. The National Endowment for the Arts manages the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notified the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence.

"These individuals and this organization have all made enduring contributions to the artistic life of our nation," said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia "Whether by composing profound choral works, or creating paintings of both beauty and unease, or giving us wonderful stories steeped in Native American traditions, their work has enriched our national culture."

The 2007 National Medal of Arts Recipients

Morten Lauridsen, composer, Los Angeles, CA
N. Scott Momaday, author, essayist, poet, professor, painter, Oklahoma City, OK/Santa Fe, NM
Roy R. Neuberger, arts patron, New York, NY
R. Craig Noel, Old Globe Theatre director, San Diego, CA
Les Paul, guitarist, inventor, New York, NY
Henry Steinway, arts patron, New York, NY
George Tooker, painter, Hartland, VT
University of Idaho Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, music competition and festival, Moscow, ID
Andrew Wyeth, painter, Chadds Ford, PA

Also receiving an award from the President will be Erich Kunzel, conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and a 2006 National Medal of Arts recipient who was not able to attend last year’s event.

The National Medal of Arts, established by Congress in 1984, is awarded by the President and managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Award recipients are selected based on their contributions to the creation, growth, and support of the arts in the United States. Each year, the Arts Endowment seeks nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. The National Council on the Arts, the Arts Endowment's presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, reviews the nominations and provides recommendations to the president, who selects the recipients.

The National Endowment for the Arts gratefully acknowledges The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities for its support of the 2007 National Medal of Arts.

Please see additional information on the National Medal of Arts on the NEA web site.

For more information, contact the National Endowment for the Arts Communications Office at 202-682-5570.

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