Asawa Lanier, Inc./Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York. Courtesy David Zwirner
Ruth Asawa with hanging wire sculpture, 1951.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden presented the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals on Oct. 21 in a private ceremony at the White House.
The ceremony was followed by a reception with remarks by President Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo).
“The arts enrich our lives, helping us to ask questions, imagine new possibilities, and create community,” Jackson said. “The NEA is pleased to join President Biden in congratulating the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients, whose curiosity, creativity, hard work, and dedication have inspired and touched so many in our country and around the globe.”
The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government. It is awarded by the president to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the U.S.
2022 recipients include:
Ruth Asawa(1926-2013), artist, educator, and arts advocate, who is known for her extensive body of wire sculptures that challenge conventional notions of material and form through their emphasis on lightness and transparency.
Born in Norwalk to Issei parents, Asawa first studied under professional artists while her family and other people of Japanese descent were detained at Santa Anita in 1942. Following her release from an incarceration camp in Rohwer, Ark., 16 months later, she enrolled in Milwaukee State Teachers College.
Unable to receive her degree due to continued hostility against Japanese Americans, in 1946 she enrolled in Black Mountain College in North Carolina, a period that proved formative in her development as an artist. There, she met architectural student Albert Lanier, whom she would marry in 1949 and with whom she would raise a large family and build a career in San Francisco.
Asawa continued to produce art steadily over the course of more than a half century, including numerous public commissions in San Francisco and elsewhere. A firm believer in the radical potential of arts education, Asawa devoted herself to expanding access to art-focused educational programs.
She co-founded the Alvarado School Arts Workshop in 1968 and was instrumental in the 1982 creation of the first public arts high school in San Francisco, which was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in 2010.
Her works include fountains in Ghirardelli Square, Union Square and Japantown in San Francisco; the Garden of Remembrance at San Francisco State University; and the Japanese American Internment Memorial in San Jose. Asawa additionally served on the California Arts Council and was a trustee of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The medal was accepted by Addie Lanier, Asawa’s youngest daughter.
Herbert Ichiro Ohta, affectionately known as Ohta-San, a celebrated ukulele musician born on Oct. 21, 1934 in Honolulu. His musical journey began at age nine, when he won a local radio station’s amateur contest. At 12, he met his mentor, Eddie Kamae, who introduced him to various ukulele techniques and inspired him to explore different musical genres.
Ohta served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 to 1964, participating in the Korean War as a radio operator and later working as an interpreter in Japan. His appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1955 helped solidify his presence in the music world.
After his military service, Ohta returned to Hawaii and attended the University of Hawaii on the G.I. Bill, earning a BA in sociology while studying music theory with Professor Barbara Smith. During this time, he released his debut recording, “Cool Touch of Ohta-San,” under the guidance of Don McDiarmid, Jr., who also gave him the professional name Ohta-san. A hit song from this album, “Sushi,” was later released by Warner Brothers.
Ohta has performed at numerous venues worldwide and recorded over 70 albums with labels such as Decca and A&M. A highlight of his career is “Song for Anna,” composed by French composer André Popp, which became an international sensation, selling over 6 million copies.
In 2006, Ohta was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, recognizing his significant contributions to music. Ohta remains the only ukulele artist with more than 300 tunes played on national radio. With a career spanning over six decades, he has inspired countless musicians and remains a pivotal figure in the evolution of the ukulele.
The other 2022 recipients are:
Randy A. Batista, photographer
Clyde Butcher, landscape photographer
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, museum and education center
Melissa “Missy” Elliott, artist and producer
Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, musician
Eva Longoria, actress, director, and philanthropist
Idina Menzel, actress and singer
Bruce Sagan, arts leader
Carrie Mae Weems, visual artist
The 2023 recipients are:
Mark Bradford, artist
Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
Bruce Cohen, producer
Alex Katz, artist
Jo Carole Lauder, arts leader
Spike Lee, filmmaker
Queen Latifah, artist and actress
Selena Quintanilla (posthumous), singer
Steven Spielberg, filmmaker
The 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals were presented at the same ceremony. Among the recipients were cartoonist Roz Chast, poet Joy Harjo, poet and performer Juan Felipe Herrera, and the media, arts and education organization Appalshop.
The NEA manages the nomination process on behalf of the White House. Each year, the NEA seeks nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. The National Council on the Arts, the NEA’s presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, reviews the nominations and provides recommendations to the president, who selects the recipients.
Additional information and the list of past recipients is available on the NEA website, www.arts.gov.