National Medal of Arts

The National Medal of Arts, first awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1985, honors individuals or groups that have encouraged the arts in the United States and offered inspiration to others through distinguished achievement, support or patronage.

National Medal of Art Recipients

  • Dunham smiling

    Katherine Dunham (1909–2006)

    PhB’36

  • Nichols smiling

    Mike Nichols

    X’53

  • Roth face

    Philip Roth

    AM’55

  • Bellow in a hat smiling

    Saul Bellow (1915–2005)

    X’39; Raymond W. and Martha Hilpert Gruner Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and in English, 1962–1993; chairman of the Committee on Social Thought, 1970–76