President Obama on Wednesday handed out awards to National Medals of Arts and Humanities winners, and said the group of writers and scientists at the White House are “sort of my crew.”
“That’s what we celebrate here today, our fellow citizens, from all walks of life, who share their gifts with all of us, who make our lives and our world more beautiful, and richer, and fuller, and I think most importantly, help us understand each other a little bit better,” he said in briefing remarks before bestowing medals on 21 actors, artists and authors, including Sally Field, Stephen King and author Larry McMurtry.
The award winners were honored by Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in an East Room reception.
“Without them there would be no Edible Schoolyard, no Jhumpa Lahiri novels, no really scary things like ‘Carrie’ and ‘Misery,'” Obama said.
Field, 69, received a National Medal of Arts award because “the dignity, empathy and fearlessness of her performances have touched audiences around the world, and she has deployed those same qualities off-screen in her advocacy for women, LGBT rights and public health,” according to the White House.
Field, who started her acting career as “Gidget” and “The Flying Nun” on sitcoms of the same name, went on to win an Oscar for depicting real-life union organizer Crystal Lee Sutton in the 1979 movie “Norma Rae.”
King, 67, whose many books have become horror-movie staples such as “The Shining,” “Carrie” and “Misery,” is a National Medal of Arts recipient for combining “his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature,” according to the White House. “For decades, his works of horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy have terrified and delighted audiences around the world.”
McMurtry, 79, received a National Humanities Medal because his “work evokes the character and drama of the American West with stories that examine quintessentially American lives,” the White House stated. His books “Brokeback Mountain” and “Terms of Endearment” became Oscar-winning movies of the same name, while his “Lonesome Dove” novels became award-winning television miniseries.
Several Latinos and African Americans were also recognized for their contributions in various fields, including actress Miriam Colón, whose career “helped open doors for generations of Hispanic actors,” and George Shirley, the first African American tenor to lead a performance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Shirley “has captivated audiences for more than 50 years” and is a “pioneer” for other black opera singers, the White House stated.
