Cast your vote for The National Portrait Gallery's 'Recognize'

This fall the National Portrait Gallery is unveiling a special new wall in our galleries, called "Recognize."
"Recognize" is a place to highlight one important person from the museum's collection. Every few months we will announce a new lineup of candidates for consideration and invite the public to vote on which one will be featured on the "Recognize" wall.

Our curators and historians have narrowed the first round down to three candidates-the rest is up to you!

You can vote once a day until 5 p.m. on this Thursday, October 23. Don't wait!

James Meredith
On October 1, 1962, James Meredith became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi. After he was initially refused admission, Meredith filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination. The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor, although troops had to be sent in so that he could attend classes. His persistence inspired other Americans and marks a crucial moment in the civil rights movement.

Georgia O'Keeffe
Known for both her large-scale paintings of detailed, magnified flowers as well as her kinetic cityscapes, Georgia O'Keeffe remains one of the most dynamic and compelling artists of the twentieth century. Her paintings played an integral role in the development of the art movement called American Modernism. In 1946, O'Keeffe moved to New Mexico and created paintings inspired by the stark, powerful beauty of the rugged landscape. Her fame continued to rise through the 1950s and 1960s, and her work was featured in a number of major retrospectives. In 1985 President Ronald Reagan awarded her the Medal of the Arts.

Bette Midler
Bette Midler is a singer and actress who rose to prominence by performing at the Continental Baths in New York. Throughout her career she has released twenty-three albums and six compilations, which together sold more than thirty million copies. Midler has earned many accolades for her various musical, theatrical, film, and television performances, including three Grammy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Emmy Awards, a special Tony Award, and two Academy Award nominations.

Click here to cast your ballot!

Photo Credit: James Meredith (born 1933) by Flip Schulke (1930-2008), gelatin silver print, 1962 ©Flip Schulke; Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) by Arnold Newman (1918-2006), gelatin silver print, 1968, gift of Arnold Newman ©Arnold Newman; Bette Midler (born 1945) by Richard Amsel (1947-1985), color photolithographic poster with halftone, 1973, gift of Jack Rennert ©Richard Amsel. All images from the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution