National Medal of Arts - Jacob's Pillow

Men Dancers in Kinetic Molpai ; photo courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Archives

by karen Krolak
Huzzah, in less than 12 hours, President Barack Obama will present the National Medal of Arts to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the White House's East Room! If you are interested in viewing the ceremony, it will be streamed live from http://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

The National Medal of Arts honors 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 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.

I would write more but I really must scurry off to sleep. Congratulations to one of my favorite dance organizations.