Jacob's Pillow Receives National Medal of Arts at the White House 3/2

President Barack Obama will honor Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, on March 2 at 1:45pm. The National Medal of Arts is awarded to individuals or organizations who "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." Named a National Historic Landmark in 2003, Jacob's Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive a National Medal of Arts.

Fellow 2010 honorees include Harper Lee, James Taylor, Quincy Jones, and Meryl Streep. Since the awards were established in 1985, National Medal of Arts recipients include musicians Wynton Marsalis and Yo-Yo Ma; film icons Clint Eastwood and Gene Kelly; visual artists Georgia O'Keefe and Jasper Johns; dancer/choreographers Twyla Tharp and Judith Jamison; writers Maya Angelou and John Updike; and more than 250 others. In the past 25 years, only 17 arts organizations have received this honor.

Jacob's Pillow, founded in 1933 by Ted Shawn, a pioneer of American dance, is home to the nation's longest-running international dance Festival; The School at Jacob's Pillow, among the most prestigious dance training centers in the world; and rare and extensive dance Archives dating back to the early 1900s. Jacob's Pillow has been lauded as the "hub and mecca of dancing in North America" by TIME Magazine, "the dance center of the nation, and possibly the world" by The New York Times, and "one of America's most precious cultural assets" by dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Ella Baff, Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, comments "Jacob's Pillow is tremendously honored to be recognized with the National Medal of Arts. Along with a sense of immeasurable pride and celebration, it is our hope that this most distinguished award inspires increased interest in and support for dance and all the arts. We share this signal honor with the pioneering artists who have enlivened Jacob's Pillow, our audiences and supporters; and all those who recognize the vital role that the arts play in our society and communities."

Joan Hunter, Chair of Jacob's Pillow Board of Directors, comments "Receiving the National Medal of Arts is an enormous honor for Jacob's Pillow, and it is a validation of the visionary leadership of Ella Baff. In addition, this award reflects the dedication and efforts of the Pillow staff, Board of Directors, and all who have served the Pillow throughout its history. We will continue to strive for excellence and work to preserve the Pillow for future generations."

Unlike other arts awards, the National Medal of Arts is not limited to a single field or area of artistic endeavor. It is designed to honor exemplary individuals and organizations that have encouraged the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage. The Medal's genres and forms encompass arts education, crafts, dance, drawing, film, graphic/product design, interior design, landscape architecture, literature, classical and popular music, painting, patrons/advocates, photography, presenting, printmaking, sculpture, theater, and urban design.

The medals will be presented by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in an East Room ceremony at the White House on March 2 at 1:45pm and streamed live from http://www.whitehouse.gov/live. The President personally selected the recipients from nominations submitted to him by the National Council on the Arts, a group of Presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed individuals. The Council's recommendations are culled from hundreds of nominations submitted by citizens across the country. The National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence, is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The National Medal of Arts recipients represent the many vibrant and diverse art forms thriving in America," says NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "As America's longest running international dance festival, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival not only supports the creation and presentation of dance, but also provides education programs and preserves extensive dance archives for future generations. I join the President and the country in saluting them."

 

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